Ya wanna challenge?
by darkkateri
Summary: Things get a little sticky down in the lair, when Donatello realizes that all his brothers have their sights set on the same thing. Leo. Too bad the leader is clueless. rated for language, incest, and adult themes. Pairings Don/Leo, Raph/Leo, Mikey/Leo.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's pov

I am still uncertain when the change REALLY began. Quite frankly, I have always liked him. It had to be those eyes….felt like he would read me without words. And for the most part, he could. Leonardo was gifted in so many ways, just naturally. We all looked up to him, even when we were younger. So when did I start harboring ideas of molesting my brother?

I sighed, and tapped, absentmindly, at my keyboard. I had pictures on my main drive of Leonardo that I had taken in secret. One of him training, mediating, reading, heck even just standing. But this was my prized one, he had just came out of the pool in our lair and I had captured it. It was glorious to behold. Water clinging, the light….I closed my eyes…

"What the shell is wrong with me?'

"WHAT THE HELL! MIKEY!" The roar of Raphael's anger, almost made me fall out of my seat. I quickly shut down my pc and took a couple breaths to calm down my heart rate.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWW, Poor Raphie!" Michaelanglo was shrieking and I could hear crashing noises. "Get back here…" Raphael was growling. I stuck my head out of my lab, opened my mouth and then closed it.

Mikey was dressed up like Raphael! Same bandana, sais and posture. If It wasn't for the skin tone and Mikey's lopsided smile, you would have thought there was a cloning going on.

Mikey jumped up and down, swinging his arms, looking like he was doing an imitation of a gorilla.

"Aurgh! I'm Raph! Here Me Roar!"

"Mikey…"

The veins in Raph's neck seem to be popping out. "I'm going to break your face." He said through his teeth at their baby brother. That caused another roar of laughter from the youngest turtle. "No way, I am claiming sanctuary by way of Leonardo!"

The Raphael imposter raced into the dojo with the real hot-head storming after. There was a lot more yelling now. I looked up to the sky and beseech, "why me?" I asked this question a lot. Yet to have an answer. I'll let you know.

I trotted into the dojo as I heard Leonardo's voice, rang out.

"Raph! And…Mikey?" Leonardo was watching the pair run around him, from his crossed-legged position on the mat. He was frowning.

Mikey was squealing and darting around as Raph made feeble grabs at him. Leonardo sighed and got to his feet. "You guys.." He began, but Mikey dodged, running behind him.

"Leo! Save me!"

Raphael charged and the trio went down in a pile. "owowowowowowowowowowowowow!" Mikey yelled as Raphael reached over Leonardo and ripped the mask off his face.

"Stay the shell outta my room! Give me my sais!"

"Raph…stop..get off!" Leonardo was trying to get up, but was tangled up with Mikey's limbs. Mikey had a death grip on his legs. "Leo! Don't leave me with him!"

I rubbed the sides of my forehead. "Okay, this has gone on long enough. HEY!" I shouted. Everyone froze. Leonardo's eyes snapped to me, mildly surprised by the yell. I almost lost my cool. Damn eyes….

"Mike. Give Raph his gear and Raph, get off Leo. I'm trying to work and I can't think straight with all this noise!"

"Geez, Donnie." Mikey whinnied, handing Raph back his sais. "It was just a little fun."

Rapheal shot him a dark glare, taking his beloved sais. "Next time, we train…im gonna show you a little fun." Mikey swallowed. I took a step, planning on going back to my lab, when I heard a startled yell from Leo. I spun around, thinking it was Raph, only to find Mikey had shoved Leo on to his back straddling the turtle's waist.

"Wanna practice, Leo?" Mikey pouted at the stunned leader.

Practice? My head spun. Mikey never practiced. And what was with that coy smile he was giving MY LEO! My blood pressure shot up and then dropped, rapidly.

Come on, Don. I thought. This is Mikey…young, loveable, tricky…I froze with that.

That's when it hit me….Did Mikey like Leo too?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's Pov

I'm pissed.

Mikey was crossing a line going into my room. NO ONE goes into my room. I was about to blow this freak show but now, Mikey was sitting on Leo, begging to practice, that kind of got my attention. I consider asking what the shell he was up to, when I noticed the look on our usually calm Donnie's face.

He was glowering at Mikey and Leo with such spite that I figured he was going to beat them both to a pulp. His hands were clenched and his whole body was rigid as hell. I aint gonna lie. It threw me off guard. The look sent a chill down my spine.

"Look, I'm not some recliner." Leonardo was saying, shoving Mikey back, gently. He sounded annoyed, unaware of the ice-melting heat ray that was being thrown his way from Don's eyes alone. Mikey's low lip trembled, his blue eyes going wide.

The con-artist.

"You never train with me!" He whinnied. Leonardo gave him a confused look. "No, that isn't right. You never want to train."

"Well, I want to train now." Mikey said.

"I'm mediating now." Leo replied, eyeing Mikey.

Old fearless was trying to figure out what Mikey's aim was. Heck, so was I. But Donatello had my attention. His jaw was working, like he was thinking of saying something. His features still livid.

"You okay there, Donnie?" I asked him. Don seemed to jerk slightly, like he had forgotten I was there. He's eyes went wide and a look of sheer panic shot over his face.

"Um…yeah..of course…" He mumbled. Then he bolted for his lab. I heard the door snap shut. What the hell?

"Is he okay?"

I turned to find Leo, staring hard at me. I shrugged. "Hell, if I know."

Leo's right eye twitched. He hated it when I swore, but he let it go this time. He was more concerned about Donnie at the moment. "What did you do?"

I felt anger rush to my face. "What? I didn't do shit.." "Language!" Leonardo interrupted. I gave him a look. "Honestly, I didn't do nothing to Don."

Leo didn't look like he believed me, but he didn't say anything because Mikey, started whining about training again.

Well fuck Leo and his doubts. Im outta here. I headed back to my room, angry again on a different level. Why is it that every time something goes wrong, Leo's gotta shoot that disapproving look at me! Fucking bastard. Thinks he is great, cuz he is leader. Well, that don't make him the fucking judge and jury. I didn't do nothing wrong!

I slammed my door shut and put my gear in the corner, by my weights. I kicked some magazines over on my floor and sat on my hammock, but I still felt tensed. I gotta let this out. Leonardo always gets under my skin…okay, maybe everything got under my skin…BUT Leo was at the top of my list. The guy was an artist at being a prick.

I considered going to my punching bag, but it was in the dojo and Leo was there. I figured going in there was just asking too much from myself. I could end up punching Leo, instead of the bag. Then, we would have another all out fight on our hands.

Crap! I feel like I'm about to blow my top. Why the hell am I so angry again?

Then I remembered why I felt such tension in the first place. Donnie. What the hell was wrong with that brainiac? He looked like he wanted to kill Mikey and Leo. That didn't make an ounce of sense. I can't even remember the last time I saw Don look that ticked off. Then he runs off and I get blamed!

I swung out of my hammock. Well, he is not getting off the hook. I headed to my door. I would just go ask him what the hell his problem is to begin with!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Michaelanglo's Pov

"Please!"

I knew Leo could not stand it when I made that sound and right on cue, he shuddered. I was working on his last nerve. His eyes were tightly closed. He was trying to mediate. A good brother would have left him be. But, I wasn't that. As Don says, "I am a self-combusting, annoying brother." True story.

Speaking of Donnie, that was wicked weird. I had noticed the look on his face, after Raph spoke. The guy looked like he was about to wet himself. Hmmm. Wonder what Raph did to get that reaction? Whoooooooaaa! What if they like each other like I like Leo?

I tried to imagine Don and Raph together. The image wasn't pretty, than again Raph wrecks everything and Donnie fixes it, soooo it could work out. I snickered at the thought.

"Mikey…please.." Leonardo said in a stern tone, eyes still closed. He looked irritated. Awwwww. He's so cute when he is frustrated. I grinned at him and then began again in a sing song voice.

"But, Leoooooooooooooooooo,"

What happened next was viciously fast. One minute, I was kneeling on the floor, driving my favorite brother crazy, and the next I was flat on my shell, looking up into Leo's intense face.

I felt heat race through me as he hovered above me, both my hands pinned under his knees on either side of me. It hurt, but it numbing compared to what I was feeling. I wanted this….for a long time…Leonardo.

He leaned closer his face inches from mine, our eyes locked. His mouth twitch and I almost died when his breath came out hot against my cheek. "You lose."

Then the weight was gone, I didn't even hear him leave the dojo. I didn't move either. How could I? I wanted to keep that memory of Leonardo forever. I just closed my eyes and grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

"Oh crap!" I had almost lost it! And in front of Raph, no less. What was I thinking? I paced, frantically. Actually, I knew just what I was thinking. I was thinking about how bad I wanted to clock Mikey right off Leo and how I could make it look like an accident.

"Shell!" I breathed sitting down hard, by my desk, hands over my face. I am going insane! Sure, it looked like Mikey was making a move on their leader…but…Mikey would never.. I mean..he was a jokester, a clown. Surely….

I froze at the thought, lowering my hands. "No…"

Mikey had been acting weirder that normal lately, now that I thought of it. In fact, Mikey had been down right clingy. He was almost always glued to Leo. At breakfast, during patrols…wait! He threw a fit just last week, when Raph went with Leo on a training run! He sulked for hours in front of the tv. Who would have thought that Mikey would be the next one to mature after me? Heck, I figured Leo or Raph…but Mikey?

_Why hadn't I noticed?_

I realized that was the whole point. Mikey came across innocent and completely immature. No one would ever guess what the youngest turtle was up to. Mikey had always adored Leo, so they would just assume he was after some bonding time! No one took him seriously.

My heart beat raced. What the hell? Mikey was using that to his advantage!

Leo would never even know what hit him! My eyes narrowed. I was out of my chair instantly, back to pacing.

"That…clown!" I hissed out loud. "Well, oh boy, I'm on to you now! He thinks he can just walk in after all this time and have Leo for the taking, he got another thing coming!"

I strutted to the door, ready to tell Leo the truth! My hand paused before it got to the door knob. "No, that would be just what he would think I would do…Mikey could just deny it…" I was stuck! Damn genetics! It should have been Leo next to figure out that we only had each other! And damn him for being so….pure.

I sighed. I was pretty sure Leo never even dreamt of the thoughts I have been having lately. Gah! Why Mikey? I couldn't sit by…I had to let Mikey know that Leo was mine. That he needed to back off. I had to let him know without really letting Leo know…which was going to be close to impossible considering how Mikey followed the leader around like a puppy.

Gah! I needed to calm down before I had heart failure. I took a deep breath and sat down, turning on my pc. The photo of Leonardo flashed on. I smiled at it. I knew right then and there that I could figure this out. Leo and I were way more compatible then him and Mikey.

Mikey just had a fan boy crush. It was nothing more. Once I make it clear to him that Leo and I are a better fit, he'll back off. He would pout in the corner just like he always does.

_I felt confidence rush over me. I was freaking out before I had analyzed all the facts. I should have known better. I stretched in my chair and studied every detail in the picture. I knew Leonardo well, probably better than Mikey any ways. I had nothing to worry about. If this was a challenge, it was a pitiful one._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's POV

I had thought about knocking. But quite frankly, I am about ten times worst than Mikey about that. I can't tell you how many times I have walked in on my brothers. But, the way I see we are all guys, so what's the big deal?

Donatello is a strict knock-before-entering kind of guy. He tends to get very territorial over his precious lab. But I got this idea in my head that if Don ran to hide in his lab, then he might not open up for me. As I saw it, sneaking up on the guy was my best option.

I pushed open the door quietly and stepped in and froze before I got any further. Donatello was staring at his computer screen, which held a picture of our fearless leader. For a second, I was trying to get a grasp on why the hell he would of a picture of Leonardo until I caught a glimpse of what he was doing and heard his heavy breathing.

I backed out of the lab and shut the door again, recoiling from it like it was on fire. I stared hard at it. "What the fuck?" I whispered. I didn't know if I should open it again and kick the crap out of Don or throw up or go find Leo…

Out of all the things, I was not expecting that shit. I turned away and blindly walked into Mikey.

"Hey." He said, cheerfully. His smile faded when he saw my face. "Whoa, you okay, dude? You look like you have seen a ghost."

A ghost would have been tolerable to what the fuck I just saw. However, I didn't want to talk to Mikey about it. Heck, I think I was going into shock! Talking was out of the question. Not that it had ever been my strong point. So I pulled a "Donnie".

"B-bathroom." I stammered and raced to it. I opened the door and closed it behind me. I fumbled with the lock and then leaned my forehead against the frame. What the fuck? I thought again. Donatello had been… SHIT!

How long has he been doing that? And to Leo? Did Leo know? I snorted. No. Leo wasn't like that at all. The image on the screen came back into my mind. How the hell did he manage to get a picture of Leonardo like that in the first place?

Damn….Donnie has just traumatized me with freaking porn of our brother. What was worst was it was a freakin turn on! I had never even stopped to think that…

"Ahem." Came a cough behind me. I spun around, my fists up.

Leonardo, in the flesh, stood behind him, a towel around his waist.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" I snapped. Leonardo's eyes narrowed, briefly.

"I was taking a shower, hot head. You really should learn how to knock."

Yeah, I should. I agreed. My eyes lingered on his biceps, where water beaded down still. Shit, Donnie had fucked up my head. It was like I was noticing stuff I had never had before. Like my eyes had been opened to see the sexy Leo standing before me, wearing nothing but a towel. It had to be his skin. It was gleaming, fucking begging me to touch it.

"Are you listening?" Leo's voice snapped, suddenly.

Oh, he had been talking…I raised my eyes back to his face and I noticed how irregular my breathing sounded and the thoughts that were drifting through my mind. Holy crap. I was considering jumping his ass right now. I shoved the door open.

"Get out." I said, quietly to him. I was having trouble, restraining myself. I knew a few more seconds and my instincts were going to kick my brain to the curb and Leo would find himself pinned to the bathroom floor.

I watched anger flare through his eyes.

"Seriously, Raph." He said as he walked back me. I caught the scent of the soap he was using and almost grabbed him. But, amazingly, I kept still. He looked back at me over his shoulder. "You can be such jerk sometimes."

I gave him a glare, but my brain couldn't come up with a smart ass remark just now. So I gave him the finger and slammed the door shut. I leaned against it. Oh…fuck!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

There seems to be some sort of strange aura in the lair, lately. I can't quite place it. But I can feel it, hovering over my brothers. I was starting to wish that Sensi would get back from his spiritual pilgrimage soon. He would know what was going.

Personally, I think if I could mediate I could name it, unfortunately, Mikey seems to have other plans. These plans consist of one solid thing.

"Come on, Leo! Let's train.' He is hopping around me like a boxer. He is smiling, but I am starting to get the feeling that he is up to no good. Don't get me wrong. I trust my brothers, but Mikey and training doesn't add up. Especially training with me. Normally, he cries and pleads for me to go easy on him. Lately, our training is me pinning him ever which way and him just going limp. I don't even think he is trying to block. I know this because I have been holding back on him.

So why is he pretending to want to train? What was he trying to distract me from really? I was getting the feeling that I was out of the loop on some detail. I needed to get to the bottom of it.

"Okay. What gives? I have never seen you so eager to train." I said crossing my arms and fixing him with a piercing look. Eager had been an understatement. It seemed Mikey was obsessed with it. Every spare second I had, he wanted to train. I was all up for training, but I had also noticed that Mikey hadn't played a video game in days. It would make any body worry, I'm sure.

"Just wanting to improve myself, Bro! Isn't that what you always say?" Mikey said, brightly like he had just been told he could eat all the pizza he wanted. I was a little stunned that he even knew that I had said that. I figured he was ignoring me.

I gave him a skeptical look. "Right."

"Hey, Leo!" Our genius brother was approaching, looking a bit upset. That was out of character for Donnie unless something was really wrong. My first thoughts were of Splinter.

"You okay?" I asked, a hint of concern in my voice. He shot me a wide smile. "I can be. I was wondering if you could give me a quick hand with dinner…"

"Whoa, back up!" Mikey exclaimed before Don could finish. "You're asking Leo to cook? You know the guy eats like nothing but tea and rice."

Mikey looked truly afraid of this. I gave him my best annoyed look and he withered slightly under it. I was relieved that dinner was the source to Donnie's dilemma. I felt my body relax once again. I smiled, warmly at Donnie.

"Of course, I'll help you out.." I started but was interrupted by another voice.

"Help him out with what?" Raph's voice came out, roughly.

What was he mad about now? Oh never mind it was Raph! What was I thinking? When was he not mad? Hot head.

"Dinner…" I started to say, but was cut off again.

"Then shouldn't Mikey be the one to help with dinner? He actually eats edible food." Raph asked.

What? Was this gang up Leo day and I missed the memo? I frowned, deeply at him and he smirked back and winked. Wait…winked? What was that suppose to mean?

Donatello looked a bit taken back by Raph's request. "Um..well..er…I suppose."

Raphael swatted Mikey upside the head. "OW!"

"You heard him. Go help, Donnie." Raph muttered. Mikey rubbed his head, shooting a pitiful look at me before heading for the kitchen. Donatello's eyes shot back and forth between me and Raphael.

"Let's do this, Don!" Mikey yelled from the kitchen. Donnie hadn't moved. He had a look on his face as he stared at Raph, that I couldn't quite describe. It was like they were talking, with their eyes alone. Raph appeared to be relaxed about Don's whole staring contest.

"We gonna eat tonight or what?" He asked, sounding causal. Don stiffen, gave Raph one last look over and Then, slowly went to the kitchen as well.

I stared at Raphael, completely puzzled. What the heck was going on? Was it a special occasion or something and I had forgot? I racked my brain and Raph shifted next to me.

"So, Fearless. Ya wanna train?" He asked me in a low tone.

Yeah, it was official. My brothers had lost their minds.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

Well, this was a fine mess I was in. How is it that in less than twenty-four hours _all_ my brothers had a thing for our leader now? Is that even scientifically possible? This can't be happening to me.

I had seen that leering look on Raphael's face as he eyed Leo like he was candy. I was about ready gouge his eyes out! I couldn't believe how smooth he was about getting me trapped in the kitchen with Mikey. He had blown, my perfectly thought out plan, out of the water in a matter of seconds!

First Mikey, now Raph! It was beginning to sound like a plot in one of Splinter's soap operas! What had changed for Raph all the sudden? Why was it Leo? Why can't it be someone else? I thought Raph hated Leo! It was probably just physical attraction for him, the snake!

"Dude! Why are you slamming everything around? What did the kitchen do to you?" Mike snapped behind me. I didn't answer. I was too caught up in my thoughts. Plus, I wasn't going to be talking to _him_. The traitor!

No one even cared to ask how I felt on the matter! No, "oh by the way, I like Leo too." Heck everyone assumed it was a free for all! Where is my say in the matter?

I figured I could take Mikey on, but Raph? Raph _**never **_backed down from anything! It was one of the main reasons Leo and him fight all the time. How the shell was I going to get him to walk away? What was I going to do? I had to get things back into my favor!

"Donnie, you're starting to freak me out, man. You look like some evil scientist dude trying to create a monster instead of dinner…"

Mikey sound unnerved. Did it scare him? Well, good! He was the start of all this! He couldn't just keep his hands off of my Leo. That was what probably gave Raph ideas…

"Don.."

I spun around so fast that I heard Mikey give a gasp. "I am on to your little game, Mikey." I hissed. I couldn't believe how my voice was coming out. I sounded nothing like me! But I went with it. I stuck my finger in Mikey's face, forcing him to back up until his shell bumped into the counter.

"I have one thing to say. It won't work! You want to know why? Because I will make sure that it fails. You can't have him! Got it?" I took a deep breath and pulled a nasty smile onto my face.

Mikey stared up at me, mouth parted, alarm in his eyes. "What are you talking about?" He said, softly. But I could tell he was lying. He was caught and we both knew it. He was not going to weasel out of it.

"Leo. Is. Mine!" I deadpanned.

Mikey's eyes expanded and his shocked look went blank. For a second, no one moved. I could practical see the wheels turning in Mikey's head. He was putting two and two together now. I waited. Any second, he was going to run for it. Then all I would have to worry about was Raph. It was going to take a lot to get Raph out of the picture.

Suddenly, Mikey's eyes came back into focus and he frowned. I felt my cool composure falter. Mikey was looking really pissed now. Was he seriously mad? Was he mad because he lost? He probably would call me a name and then run for it. I figured. I waited.

He looked up at me, licked his lips and said, "Says who?".

Fuck. "I beg your pardon?" I asked, darkly.

"I don't see your name any where on Leo. In fact, I bet Leo doesn't have a clue!" Mikey went on, anger ringing out in his voice. He was pissed? This was not how it was suppose to happen! He wasn't supposed to fight back!

"Of course, he doesn't have a clue! He's Leo!" I snapped back, my hands fisted.

Mikey chuckled. "You had me for a moment, Don. But we all know how shy you are. Fact is, you could NEVER tell Leo. So Leo is fair game." He leaned forward, eyes shinning with determination.

"Hey!" I growled. "I liked him first…"

"Pst. Finders keepers, bro." Mikey shrugged, smiling. He picked up the plates. 'Sorry, dude. But I am not going to be quiet on this one. I want Leo. So good luck! You are going to need it."

I watched him walk away to set the table. He acted like nothing had just happened. He wasn't worried at all that I liked Leo too. The little punk! He thought that I was the washed up one! Well, Mikey, you are about to learn a valuable lesson!

"May the best man win!" I said under my breath.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's POV

Leonardo was shooting me a calculating look right now. I couldn't help it.

I was grinning my ass off. I had totally just fucked Donnie's little kitchen helper plan. I had Leo to myself. It was weird still, but I wanted it like this. Who knew?

"Why the shell does everyone want to train all the sudden, Raphael?" Leonardo demanded. Hmm. The full name. Leonardo always did that when he was trying to pull rank on me. As if I didn't know he was leader. I studied the turtle in front of me. Leo's eyes seem to see right into me. He had learned that look from our father, yet it was more terrifying on Leo. I have seen many crack under his gaze…mainly Mikey. But it wasn't going to unsettle me. I couldn't care less that he had his "fearless face" on.

He wanted answers and I was the target he was going to get them from. Or so he thought. You think Leo would learn when to quit? Heck, this guy was more stubborn than even me. It would normally piss me off. But right now. It felt like a challenge.

I shrugged, spreading my hands in a "who knows?" gesture. "Is there a problem with training, fearless?"

I watched his eyes narrow. I had him. I cocked my head to the side. "Ya ain't scared, are you? Afraid I will whoop you?"

I knew I was pushing buttons. The fact is I can play Leo like a violin. I knew how to get him to fight with me. He squared his shoulders. He was taking the bait.

"Have it your way, hot head." He marched to the dojo and I followed at my leisure, enjoying the view. Once he got to the mats he turned around and threw a lightning punch at my gut. I was so surprised that I barely dodged it. What? Had he seen me looking? But I looked up into his face and I caught a glimpse of amusement in his eyes. The creep was screwing with me!

"Hey, that wasn't cool, fearless." I muttered, taking a defensive position. Leo shot me a small smile and nodded. Damn. He was _hot! _I chuckled.

"Ok, you wanna play dirty, sword boy? You got it!" I took a swing at him, but he danced away and swiped at my hand as it past, nailing me right on the knuckles. _Shit! That fucking hurt! _

I gave my hand a shake, trying to ignore the throbbing and focused on kicking Leo's shell now. For a while, I couldn't get the upper hand. My temper was shooting up with each blow I received. Leonardo seems to have some radar on this because suddenly he gave me a smirk. The guy could be just as annoying as fucking Mikey! What the hell is he smiling about?

I let out a low growl. "What ya grinning about, Splinter Jr?"

His smile faded a little at the nasty nickname. He hated it when I called him that. But then his stone cool composure took over.

"Oh, nothing, Raph. I was just thinking about how you are going to lose this match."

"Like hell I am?" I snarled. Damnit! He was getting me all worked up again.

He frowned. "Language." He reminded. He took a swipe at me feet and I leapt out of the way.

"But I am curious to what is going on around here lately?" He mentioned.

My fist hesitated at the question, my aim staggering. He knocked it aside, easily. He seized my wrist and jerked me forward, spinning inward into me. I grunted as his shell smacked into my chest. In one swift motion, he dropped to his knees, yanking my arm downward. I flung over his shoulder landing on my shell with a thud. Before I could even recover, he pounced on me, quick as a cat.

"So there is something going on?" He asked, staring at me hard.

"Get the fuck off, Leo." I snapped, trying to sit up, but he shoved me back down. _Shit shit shit! Maybe this wasn't a good idea!_ I could feel my body temperature rising with him straddling me like this.

"No. Not until you tell me what is wrong with you guys. Honestly, you think I wouldn't notice?" Leonardo demanded, pressing down on me with his arms trying to keep me pinned. I was slightly distracted now. My brain was zooming in on his breathing rather than his words. I couldn't answer. Sweat glittered on his skin. He was warm.

Oh to hell with it! I grabbed his hips and rolled with him. A look of shock flickered through his features. Now, it was his turn to be uncomfortable. He tried to push me off, but I was bigger than him. Guy should eat a less healthy diet. He could do with a little more weight on him. Not that I mind. It was perfect for this.

"You seem paranoid, Leo." My voice came out deep and husky. Leonardo's eyes were confused, but I was going to change that. I was going to make sure that he understood everything. I was going to make sure he knew he was mine.

"Raph?" Leo began.

"Dinner!" Mikey walked in and froze in mid-step.

Well, fuck.

I rolled off Leo letting the leader up. I stood and offered him my hand. "Come on, Bro. Dinner time. Hopefully, it isn't fucking salad."

Leonardo's posture relaxed and he took my hand. "Language."

I pulled him up and pushed past Mikey. "You coming or what?" I asked my stunned baby brother. He nodded, eyeballing me. Well, well. It seems there was an understanding going around in the lair. Mikey knew now that Leo was mine. At least, I wasn't going have to waste my breath on telling him and Don now. I grinned. This was too easy.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Michaelanglo's POV

Well, this was interesting now. We have all been keeping secrets lately. But I would have never guessed that it was that we all had crushes on the same turtle. Hmph. Small world, I guess. But, hey, I can totally see why they picked who they did. I mean, Leo was like..a superhero. Raph had been right. Leo was fearless. He was a protector.

I could always imagine him with a cape, taking out villains, and then finishing up the day with a cup of tea. The guy just was different. That was why he was picked to be leader. It had nothing to do with age. Leo was a guy that you couldn't help but follow. Heck, even Raph does. He may not admit it, but he does.

Speaking of Raph, I was seriously considering kicking him under the table. The guy was stealing my moves! I mean, I am pretty sure I interrupted that "training session" at the right time. The dude moves too quick for his own good. Leo looked just a little bit freaked out.

Honestly, didn't Raph know anything about courting? Ya gotta be skillful and sweep them off their feet. Or in my case, just be ridiculously cute!

Oh, Well. I'm not backing off. I wasn't going to end up alone. And who did Donnie think he was? Bossing me around like he was _entitled _to Leo! "I liked Leo first." Oh please!

What did he think this was? Kindergarten? This was love! And as everyone knows, the funny guy gets the girl! I am starting to think that my brothers aren't even finding me as a threat. But I'll take it. Besides, if he wants to get technically, I have loved Leo since we were twelve. It was on a day that he almost…I shivered. Heck, I didn't even want to think about it. But that day changed everything for me.

I glanced at Leo, who was moving his food around with his fork, trying to identify it. Heck, even I wasn't sure what it was and I cooked it. I think I was a bit distracted with Donnie, muttering darkly behind me the whole time we were cooking.

He noticed my staring and mouthed at me "what is it?"

I shrugged back. He nodded and his eyes went to Donnie, who was staring at me. In a veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy unfriendly way, I might point out. Donnie was making Raph look like a pretty pony right now. The guy was throwing off some seriously bad vibes.

So I tried to lighten up the mood. I kicked Donnie under the table…well..I meant too.

"Hey!" Raph snarled at me.

"Uh..oops?" I squeaked.

Leo stood up, deciding that his stomach would be far safer empty then full at the moment. "You know, I think we should do a training exercise topside tonight. We have been cooped up too long."

Raph's eyes brighten, forgetting me. Score one for Leo! "Fuck yeah!"

Leonardo gave him the look. "Language, Raph."

Donnie straightens in his chair, turning to look up at Leo. "You think that is a good idea, Leo? I mean, it has been raining a lot."

"Less people out. "Leonardo said, simply. Donnie nodded. "You're right."

Wow…what a suck up. I rolled my eyes. "Let ditch the dishes in the sink and get this party started!" I jumped up from my chair, taking the plates.

This was going to be epic! I was going to make sure that Leo was my partner this time!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

"For the last time, we aren't splitting into teams!" I knew I sounded

exasperated, but hey, I do not like repeating myself SEVEN times! Jeez! Mikey had selective hearing. He was behind me pouting. But I ignored him.

My team was already trying to split up. Don and Raph weren't speaking. Mikey was a handful. I felt like a rubber band being pulled in every which direction. I needed answers, but I also needed to take things down a notch. I figured a training run, would get out some tension out of my family. But I couldn't even get started at that.

'Well, where we going, Fearless?" Raphael crossed his arms and studied me. He was acting like he couldn't believe I had dragged him up here for this.

I tried to remain cool, but I felt some panic. My family was loosing it. What had I done wrong? Why wouldn't Don talk? How could I miss something that was obviously so important to the rest of my family?

"Look." I started. "You guys have been fighting badly lately. I want everyone to relax and just run. I'll decide where we go."

"Sooooo its like follow the leader! Like back when we were little!" Mikey shouted. I gave him a beaming smile. At least, Mikey was positive about this.

"Sure. Like follow the leader." I looked back at Raph and Don. Don nodded at me. Raphael unfolded his arms. "Well, lead the way, Fearless."

I felt triumph rise in my chest. This might just work. "Come on!"

It started out well, but then Raph got impatient. "This sucks. Can we like fight or something?' I heard him grumbling. A sucker punch in the face crossed my mind but I kept running.

Then mikey started. "Leoooooooooo. Let's do something fun now! Can't you lead the way to the comic book store?"

Oh for cried out loud!

I hunched my shoulders up and stopped short. Donatello smacked into me as I turned around. We hit the roof top, me on my shell for the third time today.

"Oh! Sorry!" Donatello went bright red. I shook my head. "It was an accident. You don't need to be embarrassed, Don."

Raph snickered. "Yeah, right."

That was a strange remark to make. Donnie shot him a glare, but Raph just sneered at him.

I got to my feet. "What is going on with you two?" I demanded. They both kind of jumped and looked at me. I waited. Raphael gestured around us. "I'm bored as shell, Fearless. You call this fun?"

Okay, so they still weren't going to tell me anything. I was on edge. Why won't they just say what was really on their minds?

"Fine." I threw my hands up in the air. They were driving me crazy now. My temper was starting to come out. "What do you want to do?"

Raph's eyes locked with mine. "Hide and seek." He said, lowly.

For some reason, I did not like the way he said that. It set a tingle down my spine. He was up to something. The look he was giving me was so unsettling. I wasn't sure why, but it was.

"Yay!" Mikey jumped up and down. "That's awesome, Raph! I wanna be It!"

"No, I will be." Raph snapped.

No way was I letting that happen. Raph had danger written all over him. I don't know what he was playing at, but I decided that I did not want to find out.

"Don will be it." I said and I saw Donnie perk up a little. He raised his eyes and stared at me in a hopeful kind of way. I gave him an encouraging smile. I wish they would tell me what was going on. I did not like to see them this way.

"Alright, Donnie." Mikey saluted him. "You know the drill. Count to a thousand!"

Donnie nodded. "No comic bookstore."

Mikey gave him puppy dog eyes. "Are you sure?"

Donnie laughed. "Yeah."

"You know, I could get you something."

"At the comic book store? Mike, I read real literature." Don said to him.

Mikey pointed at finger at him. "That is because you do not know any better! You're missing out, Bro!"

Donnie chuckled and shook his head.

This could work. They seemed happier already. My heart soared. We could work this out! We have been through worse things. I was determined to make this a night to remember.

"Okay, close your eyes." As soon as he did I turned and ran. My brain quickly began trying to pick up good hiding spots as I reached into my belt and turned off my shell cell. I knew Donnie. He would use gadgets if you left yourself open.

If I had turned to look back, I would have noticed something very strange. None of my brothers were hiding. They were all watching me.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

After Leonardo left, we all stood still staring at each other. I knew it would come to this. I wasn't backing down. I didn't care what they said. _I_ needed Leo.

"Let's cut the shit." Raph started right away. Raph doesn't mess around. It could be a good or bad thing depending on the sitatution.

I crossed my arms and waited for him to continue.

"We all want a piece of Fearless? Am I right? You all have been giving him that look." Raph stated the obvious.

'I want more than a piece." I snapped at him, glaring. He laughed and turned his head to the side, eyes glittering with amusement.

"You are trying to say something there, Donnie?" He asked.

My hands clenched. As if! He knew damn well what I was getting at. "You only have a physical attraction to Leo. You will end up hurting him! So back off, Raph!"

There I had said it. I felt like I had just dropped a burden off my shoulder. Now Raph knew that I would call out his little plan. He knew now that if he ever hurt Leo, I would be there to kick his teeth in!

Raph growled at me, very serious now. I backed up a step. Crap! He was like a cannon coming at me. Mikey shot between us. "Whoa dudes!"

"HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?" Raph shouted at me over Mikey's shoulder. I shuddered at the force of his voice. He would have hit me if he could of reached me. "How The fuck would you know anything? You sit in you little lab all day trying to pick my brain, Donnie? How the fuck would you know what I think of Leo? What about you? You fit into your fucking theory too? Or only I get the fucking pleasure!"

Okay…maybe I misjudge…

I stared back at him with wild eyes. "You just never seemed… interested…in..I mean..you fight a lot..." I trailed off.

Raphael bared his teeth at me. "You know what, Donnie? You are going to regret saying that. You're the one with a fucking problem. Not me. At least, I don't sneak around with photos."

My heart dropped in my chest. _Oh my fucking…oh my..he knew! How did he know? _

My face must have shown what I was thinking because Raph laughed, coldly.

"Yeah, I know about your little porn site."

Mikey backed up, eyes the size of saucers. "Porn? Of Leo?" He stared at me, his expression unreadable.

I swallowed, feeling lower then dirt. I shifted, uneasy. I opened my mouth to talk, but the words were caught in my throat. I had no real way of justifying myself about this. I was guilty as charged. I was a sicko. Raphael was right about me. I was a hypocrite.

"Damn! I would have never guessed, Donnie! Will you show me?" Mikey was suddenly, latched on to me. I saw Raph's look of triumph, stagger. Heck, even I was shell-shocked.

'W-what..?" I said, slightly surprised, but relieved at the same time. Mikey didn't think I was a freak. But Mikey seemed to accept things pretty easy to begin with.

"Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I have some wicked drawings, but real pictures would be sooooooooo much better!" Mikey was saying it all in one breath. I felt like my brain was overloading.

"No! I'm not showing them to you." I said, trying to push him away, so I could have some breathing space. Drawings? Did he just say drawing?

"WHAT?" He wailed. "But you showed Raph!"

"No, I didn't!"

"This is crazy." I heard Raphael say, quietly. We both looked over at him. He was staring at the ground. "I still can't believe it. There has to be something wrong with me. I mean…I like my brother! What the hell? What. The Hell?"

Raph put a hand to his face. I felt compassion rush into me. He was my enemy, but before that, he was my brother. I understood. I knew what it was like. Raphael wasn't going to have to go through it alone, like I had.

"Hey, I felt the same way." I said to him. Mikey nodded in agreement beside me. Raph lowered his hand a little to look at me.

I took a deep breath and went on. "It is completely natural in our state that we would turn to each other."

Raphael made a sound of disagreement at that. "Nothing about this is natural."

"Well, I don't see April here, holding our hands." I snapped, and then took another breath. Geez, Raph was frustrating.

"Look, we only have each other. We have been raised together as brothers, but our DNA is different. So…what I'm trying to say is…"

"It is okay to love Leo." Mikey finished and I shot him an appreciated gaze, before turning back to Raph.

"There is nothing wrong with you, Raph. We have just reached that stage in life, where we want a mate. And with so little options. We all have picked the best one."

Raph's face broke into a wide smile. "That stage, huh? Wonder when old, Fearless is gonna reach that stage? The guy doesn't seem to have a clue. I mean, I am hitting on him with every thing I got and he still acts like we are just having a bad day. How thick can you get?"

Mikey nodded. "But I think it is cute. For once, I know something that Leo doesn't."

Raph pulled Mikey into a noogie. "No, you just like jumping on him and him letting you, you pervert!"

"ooooooooooouch! Cut it out!" Mikey squirmed.

"Well, now what?" I asked, looking at them. "Leo got us up here to work things out, but I am going to be honest. This doesn't mean I'm going to let you have him."

Mikey pulled free from Raph. "Who says we would expect anything else?"

I smiled. "Then a friendly challenge? Winner gets Leo?"

'A challenge?" Raph asked. "You guys are not a challenge. "He smirked at me. But I just smiled.

"We can't fight like before. All it did was worry Leo. But I think we should have a rule." Mikey said, hopping up and down with excitement.

"What?" Both Raph and I said together.

"Whoever Leo chooses, the rest of us have to accept that. Cuz I do not want to have to spend my life beating you guys up because you won't leave my honeybuns alone!"

There was a beat of silence after that.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Raph said, giving Mikey a look over.

"Honeybun?" I echoed? I exchanged looks with Raph and we bursted out laughing.

"Oh, I am soooooo calling him that!" Raph snorted.

"Well, he does now that you mention it." I said, snickering.

"Hey." Mikey stuck out his bottom lip at us. "That name is trademark by me. Go find your own!"

"Hey, that reminds me. We need to go find old honeybuns." Raph said, chuckling.

I raised an eye ridge at him. "We? I'm the one who is it."

Raphael's grinned widen. "When have I ever listened to Leo?' And with that he bolted, heading off in the direction that Leo took.

"Not if I find him first!" Mikey shouted, sprinting after him.

I stared. "Shit." I breathed and then broke out in a run.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's POV

Heh. I got this in the bag. I sprinted over the rooftops at full speed. I had a pretty good idea that Leo would head down towards Main Street. It was the perfect spot with all those alleys. Then there was the park further down. Leo would want to get down to ground level. It would be harder to track him there. Rooftops were too out in the open.

I smirked. And Don thinks I know nothing about Leo cause all we do is fight. It was because of all those fights that I knew Leo. Heck, those fights are just foreplay. Now that I know what I really feel, there was no way I was going to let anyone find Leo first. I knew that I could track Leo faster. As long as Donnie doesn't cheat or anything. Punk! He better not cheat!

Damn! I forgot about the shell cell. He better not…oh.. what am I saying? If I was him, I would totally cheat. I shook my head, laughing as I leapt down to a lower level. It still was a bit of a shock. We all like Leo. The Fearless leader, who was never any fun….

I frowned a bit at that thought. When did Leo become no fun? He wasn't always. I could remember when we were close. I mean real close…in fact, I think I had a thing for him back then. I just didn't know what it was called. Leo has always been different for me.

He would just..do things. He could out do us in about anything. I guess that is called an over-achiever. But Leonardo…..I guess he was the best definition of a friend.

I grimaced. What is wrong with me? I'm becoming a sap. I slowed to a stop, barely breathing hard to skim the ground below for any sign of my leader. Next, I'll want to watch soap operas with Splinter. I shuddered at that.

Dang. I hadn't thought of the old rat in a while. Wonder what the hell he would say about all this? My fists tighten. I had a pretty good idea. Splinter didn't accept shit. Heck, he was the reason that Leo pushed himself so freakin hard. Never good enough. Sometimes…I wish…

No.

I wasn't going to think of that crap. I was going to enjoy this chase. I was going to win. Then I could tell Splinter that this was the way things were. He would have no choice but to accept it. Man..I was thinking way too much. Keep this up and I'll end up like Donnie.

I caught some movement down below. Something moving along the shadows, trying to blend in. It quick. Too quick for others to notice. It was a ninja. I grinned, leaping down. Damn. I'm good.

I landed lightly, approaching quietly. But Leo probably already knew I was there by now. Got some weird sixth sense. Teacher's pet. Just when I was right on top of the shadowy figure, I whispered to him.

"Found ya." The figure spun around and by the time I realized it was not Leo, I was sailing into a pile of trash cans. Shit.

I groaned pulling myself out, only to realize I was surrounded but what looked like the Foot. I got to my feet, on my guard now. What the hell? Don said these guys were no longer operational.

"I thought you guys all beat it when the Shredder took the dirt nap."

"You misunderstand. We are no longer then Foot." It was the one who had hit me. I noticed then that their uniforms had a slight alteration. The Foot symbol had been replaced with some sort of lightning bolt.

My eyes narrowed at the leader, who stepped forwarded. He wasn't wearing a mask, but he should seriously consider it. Half his face was scarred…like Jack the Ripper got a hold of his face. He stared at me with one pale blue eye.

"Who the shell are you?" His face twisted up into what looked like a grin. I could of done without.

"You may call me Phoenix. This is my city now."

I looked him up and down. "You fucking with me?"

His smile slipped a little. Maybe he didn't like my language either. Heh. Go figure.

"Don't you goons got anything better to do?" I asked, cracking my neck a little. "I mean, this aint the only city."

He nodded. "That is true. But it is the only one worth taking. Now, I have heard of you and your little what…brothers?" He gestured to the men around him. "Quite frankly, I do believe that we can make a deal."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, eyeing him. Deal my ass. This guy was trying to trick me. I knew it. But, still I wasn't dead yet. So there had to be something he wanted.

"I hate to wipe out such exceptional creatures as yourselves. I think if you just stay clear of my way, I'll leave you be." Phoenix went on. His one blue eye never leaving my face.

"Do we have a deal?"

I raised my eye ridge at him. "Hard ta say? I aint the one in charge."

He smiled, apologetically at me. "I am aware. Although, I do not know much about you, in particular, I do know how your chain of command works. The Shredder left quite a bit of knowledge behind about your brother. Who was it again? Ah, yes. Leonardo? Some of my men are discussing with him, as we speak. Hopefully, he'll agree soon or I am afraid this could turn very nasty."

I felt a heat flash of anger surge through me. "If you fucking touch him…" I growled.

Phoenix regarded me like I was some sort of annoying, insect. "Settle down. I am sure he will agree. Frost is quite…persuasive."

"Who the fuck is Frost? What the fuck?" I snarled at him.

"Frost is my second in command. She will make the deal with your leader and then you are free to go."

"I am fucking free right now!" I lunged at him. I never even touched him. The rest of his little gang dog piled on me. Literally. I hit the ground, feeling my face scraping on the cement as I was dragged back. I swung and kicked out. But they had me, soon I was restrained, my arms pinned behind my shell.

"Get the hell off of me!"

"Be still, turtle." Phoenix said, mildly. I spat at him. It hit him, right on the scarred side of his face. He glared at me and then stepped closer. I stared back at him with all the anger I could muster. His eye seem to blaze with fury. Then in a blink, it was clear again. He smiled.

"Don't worry."

Worry? I am beyond that. All I could think about was my brothers. What about Don and Mike? Shit! Was everyone getting ambushed? Who the heck was this guy, really? Who the fuck was Frost? What the shell did they want? This had to be more then just a little deal? He felt threaten by us, but then why was he here playing games with me?

"Fucking prick!" I snapped. "If you're in charge then why aren't you talking to my brother?"

I saw the look falter on Phoenix's face. In a flash, I knew why. He was scared. He was scared to encounter Leo. Everyone knew Leo had taken the Shredder out.

I chuckled. "So you send a girl? Very manly."

He grabbed me by the neck, his one eye wild. "Shut up." He hissed at me. I laughed. "You're a coward. Don't worry. I won't tell." He squeezed hard once, and then pulled his hand away. I gagged a little, but it was over quickly. I went back to smirking at him.

"It is a good thing that you are not the one in charge. You would be dead." He told me, seriously.

'Try me." I told him, evenly. "Tell your goons to take a hike and we will see who would be dead."

He looked at me, considering. After a moment, he shook his head. "We will wait."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

I was surrounded, out numbered. This was crazy. You knock out one bad guy out of the picture and you get even more. I focused on the woman in front of me. Her hair was white and shinning. She wore a black ninja outfit, with a lighting bolt on the center of the chest.

"It is simple. There is no need to fight." She was saying, in a husky tone. She had a slight accent. It sounded Russian. Who the heck were these people?

I licked my lips. "You will turn my brother loose?" She nodded at me. I could see her brown eyes, gazing at me hard.

"I will admit. I know nothing about you. How do I know if there is any honor in what you say?" I asked her.

She smiled at me. "What choice do you have? If you refuse, he will be killed." My eyes widen in alarm. "No." I said, quickly. I wasn't going to let these people hurt my family.

'Tell me about the deal." She nodded to one of the ninja on her right, who put a phone to his ear. I stiffen. "What are you doing?"

"It is nothing." She told me. "We are relatively new here to this city. The clan wishes to form some alliances but unfortunately, we are low in profit. "

"That is unfortunate." I said, scanning her men, trying to find an opening. I could feel the panic, starting to rise. I had to get to my brothers. I had to get to Raph!

'That is when we heard about a mutant family living in the sewers of New York. We have a considerable amount of forces here, but with the passing of the Shredder, we lost our link. So imagine our surprise when we heard that the mutant family was the reason that the Shredder was no more?"

I did not like how this was sounding. Shredder worked with these people? Then it can't be good. Shredder had brought nothing but destruction every where. It sounded like he had his finger in something very big with these people.

"What do you want?" I asked, sharply.

She nodded. "I am sorry. I did not mean to bore you."

"What do you want?" I repeated. I didn't have time for this. The sky was looking angry above. A storm was brewing. The odds would be against me in a fight in the rain. I had less protection.

"Very well, I will get to the point." She said, her eyes leveled with my own. "We want you."

I blinked at her. What? "Excuse me?"

"From all reports you are quite skilled. We need someone as you to infiltrate our enemy's base."

"You mean work for you?" I demanded. "I am not interested."

"Then I kill you and your family." She said, smoothly.

"No." I breathed, glaring at her hard.

She nodded, gravely. "It is a simple job. What is the harm? You do the job and we will leave you alone. It is simple, yes? There is no need to be unfriendly."

No. It wasn't simple. There was more. There was something they were not telling me! But what choice did I have. They had Raph! I was stuck! There was only one way to save him.

She grinned at me. She knew. "We make deal?" She purred at me. I stared at her. What if this was a set up? What if they didn't have Raph? They could be stringing me along.

"I want proof that Raph is okay." I said. She beckoned to the ninja on her right.

"oh, yes. Of course."

Shell…that was too easy.

She took the phone from him and spoke into it in Russian, waited then held it out to me. I swallowed, reaching for it. I was breathing hard by the time, I got it to my ear.

"Raph?"

"Leo?" My heart dropped like a stone at the sound of Raph's voice. It was true. They had my brother. 

"Leo! What is going on? Don't listen to them! No matter what!"

I felt fear brim up in my throat as Frost took the phone back from me. I stood there numb. I could still hear, Raph yelling on the line. I looked up into her face. 

"You win. I'll do the job."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Michaelanglo's POV

I wasn't sure what was going on, but it looked bad. I had been trailing after Leo for a bit, when a group of ninjas jumped him. I almost screamed, they scared the shell out of me. Leonardo however, just spun around with his sword out, nearly giving some poor soul a permanent reconstruction job free of charge.

What on earth? These dudes again? I thought we destroyed the Foot. Do these people never die? They were worse than cockroaches!

They were after Leo! I immediately came forward to come to my brother's aid. But stopped short, when I realized they weren't attacking Leo just standing around. They appeared to be talking. Why would they be talking to Leo?

I paused. Those guys didn't look like the Foot now that I could see them better. Who was the chick? What is with the hair? I was pretty sure it wasn't Karai. I had never seen this lady before.

I crept forward, careful to keep hidden. Leo looked like he was thinking about pummeling their faces, but he didn't move. What was going on? I managed to catch some of the dialogue briefly. Something about a job? Yeah, right. I don't think Leo was looking for one.

I studied Leo's body. He was rigid. The anger was swarming all over him. If Leo had ever looked at me like he was at this chick. I would have run to the nearest room with a locked door. I couldn't hear what else they were saying, but I thought I heard something about brother….Did these guys have another one of my brothers too?

I pulled out my shell cell and dial Raph. It rang, but no one picked up. Where was that hot head? Something didn't feel right. Leo always said I should follow my senses when it came to family. Right now, I was placing him as missing in action.

If these guys had Leo, something could have happened to Raph too. I knew Raph was tough, but I didn't have a clue what these guys could do.

Shell! This was bad….

I dialed Donnie. He picked up on the third ring. I felt relief instantly.

"What?" He snapped into the phone. Guess, he was having trouble finding Leo. It would have been great to tease him just a little, but, that would have to wait.

"Don. I found Leo.."

"Congratulations. Did you call to rub it in?" Wow. He was cranky.

"Shut up!" I hissed into the phone. "I think the Foot is back. They got Leo surrounded down off of First Street."

"WHAT?" Donnie's voice sounded unnaturally shrill. "The Foot? That is impossible! The Shredder is.."

"Quit yelling in my ear!" I retorted. "I am watching Leo now. They are just talking, but I can't get Raph to answer. I think something is wrong.."

"Don't move! I'm coming.."

"No! You go find Raph!" I whispered, frantically.

"Look, Mikey. I am sure Raph is fine. He probably is still looking for Leo and didn't want to answer his phone. Leo needs our help…"

"What the hell? Didn't you hear me? I'm telling you something is wrong!" I growled into the phone. "If you show up with out Raph, Donnie! I swear…."

"Okay…I'll find him..just please…"I could hear panic in Don's voice. He was torn over finding Raph, when he knew Leo was in possible danger.

"Don't worry, bro. I got it. Leo will be okay." I said in a calmer tone. I understood how he felt, but he couldn't just charge about. Honestly, this keeping a secret from Leo thing was not going over well for Donnie mentally. The guy was cracking. He was starting to act like Raph.

"No one is going to hurt him." I said into the phone. I heard Don's breathing, then silence as he hung up. I slipped the phone into my belt again. I was scared…but determined. Leonardo had spent most of his life saving me. It was one of the reasons I loved him. This time. I was going to return the favor.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

It is amazing how fast things can change. One moment I was considering cheating and calling Leo,only worried about our little hide and seek game and the next I am being told that my family was under attack. A little frightening? Yeah. I am thinking so.

I thought our troubles would be over with the Shredder gone. But it seemed like they were just beginning. At least Mikey was there to watch Leo's back. At least, I hope he was...

I was past scared now. Images of the last time Leo got attacked by the Foot flooded my mind. I couldn't...

_..no.I couldn't let that happen! Not again!_

I raced down towards First, frantically trying to locate my red wearing brother. This had to make matters even worse for me. Leo was in trouble and I couldn't find Raph. Perfect. That maniac better not be in trouble! I had tried calling Raph as well, as soon as I got off the phone with Mikey. Still no answer.

Gah! I'm getting the feeling that Mikey was right. Something bad had happened. Then there was Leo. What if something bad happened to him? And I never told him! Never once did I even try to tell him how I felt! I swear when I see him…

My vision was blurring. It hit me that I was crying. Hot tears streaking down my cheeks as I ran. I wiped at my eyes. This was not the time for a guilt trip!

I gave my head a rough shake. "Keep it together, Donnie!"

"Ya know, Eagle. I am starting to think we gunna stand around all night. Whatsa matter? Your Frosty can't deliver?"

I knew that voice any where. I skidded to a halt, leaning over the side to peer down into an alley way. It was Raph! And..aw, shell. Twenty more Foot ninja. Nice. It would be Raph who gets in deep in the…

"My name is Phoenix." One of the men said. This guy looked ready to kill Raph. He was studying Raph like a lion that hadn't eaten…EVER.

"I am seriously considering gagging you."

I watched Raph shrug, well the best he could with his arms pinned. "Don't be a hater. I am just the voice of reason."

And Raph was pissing them off. Typical. I studied the scene trying to decide the best way to approach this.

The man paced in front of my brother. "Maybe your brother is the one who can't deliver. Maybe he thinks he is better off without you. I can't say I would blame him."

I heard Raph's growl from here. Any second and that maniac was going to lose it and do something very stupid. I sighed, leaping up on to the ledge, my toes hanging over. I took careful aim. This was going to hurt. But it was the fastest plan I had and it would have to do.

I closed my eyes and jumped. I landed hard on several of the ninjas that held Raph. They went down like a house of cards. I rolled with momentum and knocked two more ninjas out of my way with a round the house kick.

Now free, Raphael rocket forward. He sucker punched the leader square in the jaw. The man went sprawling backwards. Raphael made to follow, but I caught him by the shoulder, spinning him back around to face me.

"Leave him, shell for brains! We gotta help Leo and Mikey!"

I bolted and I heard Raph follow taking out a few ninjas as he went. I was glad that for once he didn't argue. I could hear yelling and noises behind us, but I was not about to chance a glance back. I had to get to First Street.

"Be okay, guys! Be okay!" I whispered as I ran.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

I hated feeling helpless. I guess it is my own fault. I am a bit of a control freak. I think that comes with being put in charge of others well being. But as much as I hated felling helpless, I hate people who target my family to get to me even more!

Frosty was grinning from ear to ear. She looked like the cat that just swallowed the canary, when I said I would do the job. This whole things was still making my mind reel, but the only thing that mattered right now was Raph and the others being safe.

"Release, my brother first." I said to her. "Once I make sure he is Safe at home, I will meet back with you here."

Her smile turned upside down, instantly. "Oh." She said to me, looking very sad. It was a look of pity. It made my skin crawl. "I am sorry. But you will not be going home. You have my word that your brother will be released, but you must come with us."

Did I just hear what I think I heard? Not going to check on Raph? Who the shell did this lady think she was?

My eyes darken. "That is not what you said. How am I to make sure of his safety based on your word? You are blackmailing me with my brother's life!"

She sighed. "Do not make this difficult. You will be coming with us."

"Look. I give you my word. I will come back. Just let me check on them." I said, trying to not lose my temper.

She shook her head and the ninjas began to move in closer. "You are very young and naïve, turtle. Do you honestly think we would let you leave here? Your word means nothing to us. You will do as you are told or be punished. Now come quietly and maybe I won't have to hurt you."

Oh. Just "maybe"? Wrong thing to say. I pulled my katanas out of their sheaths. They gleamed, ready.

"You won't."

Frost shook her head. "Very well, little ninja." She pulled out some kind of a gun…what the shell was that? I tensed, ready to move, when…

"COWABUNGA!" I looked up startled to see my crazy baby brother, flying through the air. We all seemed to freeze watching Mikey, his bandana tails, streaming out behind him. His foot connected with Frost's jaw and she tumbled back, the gun sliding across the rooftop.

"Hey, Leo!" He called out, jumping around and dodging blows. I couldn't help but smile. "Nice timing." I called back, and then turned to the nearest ninja, attacking.

In the back of my mind though I was worried. "Have you seen Don or Raph?" I yelled, blocking a sword that was aiming for my head and shoving the owner back.

"Just got off the phone with Donnie. He has Raph!" He shouted, knocking a guy a bout two feet into the air and then kicking him away. "I came to get you!"

We both leapt back, landing in the center of the fight, our backs to each other. "Never fear, Leo. Mikey is here!" I smiled.

Hope coursed through me. They were okay! Now I had to get Mikey out of here and we were home free. I could do this.

I heard thunder above. The wind was picking up. Any second and we were going to have a cloud burst. We needed to end this fight now. I can do this…..

I just have to focus!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…or the fantastic four in this case….

Michaelanglos' POV

I love being a turtle! It is always great to kick the bad guy's butt. Seriously, for those of you out in the world who are bored and depressed with life, you should totally be a superhero like me!

Words can't describe how good it makes you feel. But I am even luckier. I get to save the world with my brother. And not just any brother, mind you. It is my super hot brother!

Sometimes, I have trouble fighting along side Leo. I just want to watch him. He's just so precise. They can't even lay a finger on him. Leo doesn't fight like the rest of us. When he does a move it looks well….pretty…but in a cool way….so pretty cool? He is just so graceful. Deadly, yeah, but graceful…Plus that guy has a high kick that can make you shiver. I still do not understand about that, by the way. I mean I thought I was flexible, but Leo takes the cake in that department.

It can be a real big distraction. But I can afford to be a little bit distracted. Leo keeps running over and saving my shell. I almost forgot that I was supposed to be saving his. Funny how that turns out. Guess I am just a true damsel in distress!

"Yo!" I heard Raph before he was even all the way on the roof! He was booking it. I was so glad to see him in one piece. There was scrapes on his face, but that was nothing. Raph was as tough dude. He always went down fighting. I felt pretty proud to see Donnie coming up behind him. I knew that he could find Raph! I was so glad that they were here! Now the fight was even. These wanna-bes were going down!

Raph threw himself into battle along with Donnie. The air was soon filled with ninjas flying.

I grinned. 'Woohoo! The fantastic four together again!" I did a fist pump.

"Shuddup, Mikey!" Raph snarled as he ran past me, tackling a ninja, who was trying to sneak up on Donnie's back.

"Love you too, Raph!" I called back, throwing a hard punch at a ninja's face. "And stay down!"

"You okay, Leo?" Donnie called, blocking a move with his bo staff. He kept glancing at Leo, like the guy might disappear again.

"Completely." Leonardo swiped a ninja's feet out from under him.

Everything was going great. So it only makes sense for something to go wrong. That seems to be our karma any more. There was a loud, pop!

I spun towards the sound. That was a gun! The chick! I had forgotten all about her! There she was on the far side of the roof, just outside the battle area.

She was on her feet now, a bruise forming on her face where I had nailed her. Her brown eyes looked lethal and her white hair was wild. She held the gun in both hands, eyes locked on her target. She was looking past me. I followed her gaze.

Everyone was fighting, except for Leo. He was pulling what looked like some kind of dart out of his arm. What the shell? Tranquilizer? She had shot my brother with a tranquilizer!My heart dropped. No. Not Leo...

"Leo!" I shouted as he gave his head a shake. Leo's eyes snapped to me and they widen.

"Mikey! Look out!"

I was in the middle of turning around when I saw the blade. It was coming right down towards my skull! My mouth opened; there was no way I could get out of the way in time. I heard both Raph and Don screaming my name. But it was too late. I closed my eyes, bracing for the pain.

"No!"

Then there was a sicken sound and I felt something warm and wet spray across my face. But it didn't hurt. I felt something trail down my cheek. It felt sticky. I opened my eyes, thinking maybe I was dead. Instead, I saw Leo standing in front of me. He had caught the blade with his bare hands. How the heck did he get over here so fast was beyond me. That was Leo for you. He gave a cry and shoved the blade back. The ninja landed on his ass. Leonardo stood there, his breathing coming out in irregular pants. Blood pooling at his feet from his hands. My numb brain flickered back into action at the sight. He was hurt!

"Leo.." I said, frantically, coming over towards him.

He turned to look at me, his eyes unfocused. It was the tranquilizer! "Leo..shit.."

He took a wobbly step and collapsed onto his knees. Oh damn! I caught him before he could fall flat on his face. Both Raph and Don by my side now.

"What the fuck? Leo!" Raph yelled. Donnie gave me a stunned look, and then said. "Get him the hell out of here! Now!"

The girl was coming towards us. I gave her a look of hate. "What did you do to him?"

"Mikey!" Don snapped. "Get Leo out!"

She raised the gun again. "Back away from him and you will not be harmed." Yeah, that would be the day. She was talking to the wrong family if she thought we were just going to up and leave Leo on the ground.

"Fuck you!" Raphael screamed, he threw his sai and it hit her gun. She yelped as it exploded in her hands. Raph caught his sai as it hurled back to him. I have to admit. The guy had some great aim. Any other time, I would have cheered him…

Raphael reached down, taking Leo up into his arms. I let him. I watched him lift Leo's limp body. His head hung back, his mouth parted in a shallow breathing. I watched his feet and his hands…sway…Blood was running freely from his hands alone. He had done that to himself to save me…

I felt a little numb…like I was going into shock. A pair of hands pulled me to my feet. I looked into Don's face. He gave me a shake. "Move."

I stumbled trying to move. It was my fault…..this was my fault!

"This bus is leaving! Now!" Donatello yelled, running by. I looked back; my eyes fell on the blood on the ground, where Leo had been.

I had really screwed things up this time. Sadness engulfed me as I followed my brothers. We were all running for all we were worth.

That is when it began to rain.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's POV

I held him close to trying to protect him as much as I could from the rain, but it was not use. We were all drenched and it still was not letting up. What the fuck happened? I had saw Leo block Mikey, but other then that..Why did he just collapse like that? I could only see his hands as being injured. Was the blade poisonous?

My head was going to explode. I tighten my grip on him. Those creeps…touching my brother! Mother fuckers! Next time, they were going to have to go through me!

Leonardo felt so light. We needed to force feed him some real food. He was shaking in my arms. It was really starting to freak me out. _Hang in there, bro. _

None of us said a word until we got to the sewers. We splashed through knee deep filthy water. The sewer was already starting to flood. Peachy. I carefully trudged through it. I couldn't risk falling with Leo. That would just be the icing on the fucking cake.

'Hurry." Don breathed, half jogging through the water besides me. I didn't answer. He didn't have to tell me twice. I followed him to the lair as Don typed in the code. As soon as the door was shut, We broke into action.

"Get him in my lab now! Mikey, Blankets! As many as you can find!" Donatello barked, running around the lair grabbing the first aid kit. Mikey sprinted away.

I raced into the lab, placing Leo on the table, knocking several papers and books outta the way. Hope those weren't important. I still wouldn't care.

"Don. What's wrong with him?" I asked as Mikey came back in with the blankets and we began trying to dry him off. Leo was shivering, his eyes rolling in his head. This looked bad.

'I am not sure yet." He took Leo's wrist in his hand. "His pulse is low!"

"It's the dart." Mikey said quietly. My head jerked up. "The what?"

"That chick hit Leo with some kind of dart from a gun." Mikey explained.

I suddenly had the desire to go topside and beat the living shit outta Frost. My hands clenched.

"So he is drugged. That explains why he collapsed. We will have to wait until that wears off." He took Leo's hands in his own and winced. "These needs to be cleaned. There is going to be some nasty scarring."

I covered Leo up with a dry blanket and sat down in Don's chair as he worked. Mikey stood quietly in the corner. I looked at him. There were tears on his face. It wasn't hard to guess what he was thinking. He was blaming himself.

I sighed. I had wanted to stay with Leo, but Mikey needed someone. I looked him over. He seemed unharmed, so he wouldn't need Don to check him.

I got to my feet and grabbed his wrist, pulling him out of the lab.

"w-hat? Raph.." He began. "Come on." I grunted at him. "Let' get you dry before you catch a cold or something."

He fell silent as I dried him off and then steered him to the kitchen table. He sat at the table, his head in his hands as I warmed up left-overs.

He sniffed. I gave an inward sigh. He wasn't going to make this easy.

"Mikey, quit blubbering. Leo will be fine."

'It is my fault, Raphie." He muttered. Note to everyone. I do not like it when I am called, "Raphie" but I decided to make an exception. I figured smacking him wouldn't solve the problem.

I came over and sat down, putting a plate of food on the table, before him. "It was not your fault. If it is anyone's fault it is mine. I got held hostage, like some _kid_!

He looked up at me, his blue eyes filled with tears. "But, Leo.."

"Quit it, will ya? Ya know Leo. He would have taken that blade for any one of us. You can't blame him for what he does. He's stubborn. I'm gonna have to tell him not to be so freakin reckless."

Mikey snorted. "you lecturing Leo? That will be the day."

"Hey. The guy doesn't care of himself."

Mikey nodded. "You got that straight.'

"well, I plan on taking care of him."

Mikey studied me hard. "What did they want? Why were they after Leo?"

These were questions that I was still trying figure out and the only person who could answer them was unconscious in the lab. I hated waiting, but it wasn't like I could go make Leo talk.

I shrugged. "Something about some deal, but it don't matter. Cause whatever it is they aint getting it. Now, eat."

He sniffed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands, looking down at his plate. "What is this?"

I shrugged. "The fuck if I know."


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

I felt shattered, how could I have been so slow today? I wasn't able to protect Leo at all! Here I was wrapping his hands as he shivered, out to the world. He had been standing behind me when we saw what was going to happened to Mikey. When we saw that ninja with the sword. It had been like slow motion for me. I couldn't even think past the general alarm that my brother was going to be killed right in front of me. But Leo…he was just too fast.

Mikey was the fastest of us. He was the smallest. But Leo seemed to be quicker sometimes. I hadn't even seen him move! One second he was here, the next he was there! I knew he had become faster after training with the Ancient One, but what he just pulled was closed to impossible!

I sighed, rubbing my temples again, finished with the bandaging. I check Leo over looking for any other signs of injury. Just some scratches and bruises. I looked down at his face and smiled.

He was quite cute when he slept. He looked different. His face was completely relaxed and peaceful. It made him look…young. It is strange. Leo always acted like the eldest brother, but personally, I figured Raph was the oldest because how big he was. I had no way of proving it, not that it mattered. In our minds, Leo was the big brother. But at times like this, I am reminded that he is just a kid too.

I gently touch his face, tracing my finger along his jaw. My heart was aching for him. Why couldn't I just tell him? Rejection? Yeah, that pretty much summed it up. Gah! He was hot when he looked helpless too. Man, I really did have it bad.

I glanced around nervously. This was an once in a life time opportunity. You didn't get to have Leo like this often. I licked my lips, my own breathing resounding in my ears, leaned down and softly kissed his cheek. His skin felt cold to my touch.

"Donnie, do you want…"

I leapt away from Leo like he was lava, staring ,guilty at the surprised look on Raphael's face. Raphael looked me up and down, eyes wide for a second then snorted.

"Don, I know I just didn't see you try to feel old Fearless up while he is drugged."

My face flushed red. "No….just checking his temperature….."

Raph raised an eye ridge.

"Okay!" I snapped. "It was just a quick kiss. That's all!"

"Wah! What is this I hear about a kiss?" Mikey suddenly, appeared in the doorway next to Raph.

Raph turned to him. "Just caught Don here trying to make out with Leo, while the poor guy it outta it."

"Seriously! Don! You would do that…."

"What? It wasn't a kiss! Just a peck on the cheek!" I snapped.

"WITH OUT ME!" Mikey finished, running into the room, but Raph caught him by the bandana tails as he ran by, jerking him back.

"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

"Now, hang on. I think none of you should be messing with the poor guy while he is sleeping. Ya bunch of perverts!" Raph snapped.

Mikey was still trying to run with Raph still holding on to his bandana. "Oh, you are just jealous that Don outsmarted you on this one!"

"I..w-what?" I said, watching the insane display before me. It was seriously nuts. My face was bright red.

"Maybe." Admitted Raph. "But I want Fearless wide awake and able to enjoy it when I give him his first kiss!

That caught all of our attention. We all looked at Raph. Mikey with some great difficulty.

"Who said you were getting his first kiss?" Mikey demanded, crossing his arms. He looked a bit like a mini- Leo for a second.

"I concur." I said.

'You what?" MIkey asked, looking back at me.

"I agree." I said with a sigh. Raph smirked at us, letting Mikey go. "Who says I wasn't?"

"Damnit!" I yelled, startling both of them. "That isn't fair!"

"Yeah, well, life's a bitch, Donnie." Raph said, smirking still. "But a kiss don't count if the guy is past out. End of story."

"what about practice then?" Mikey asked, eagerly. "I mean, Leo would never know…."

"That"s it. All ya, perverts out. I will watch Leo." He shoved Mikey and then turned and pulled me out of the lab by my belt. "Wait! This is my lab…you can't…"

The door slammed shut and there was the click of the lock.  
>"Raph!' I yelled, but it was no use. I had made sure this door would keep my brothers out..How ironic.<p>

I sighed, looking at Mikey who shrugged. "Guess Raph wins that round. Want some soda?

I nodded, following him to the kitchen. I can't believe Raph just locked me out of my own lab! Gah! Raph seemed to be topping me a lot at this dating thing.

Mikey rummaged in the fridge and pulled a can and held it out to me.

I took a can of root beer from him. "How do you do it, Mikey?"

Mikey pulled three more cans out for himself and set them on the counter. He popped one can open. He was completely, relaxed. Why wasn't he bothered about what had just happened? I sure as shell was!

"Do what?" He asked me, mildly, slurpping at his soda. I grimaced and did my best to ignore the sound.

"Still think you have a chance?" I said, miserably. Mikey gulped down some of his soda, before answering. "Simple. You guys, aint Leo. Until the day Leo tells me there is no chance..and then maybe then some…I'll keep fighting. I mean, dude, the way I see it, we all got a fair shot. I mean Leo is going to be shell shocked no matter what..so who knows what will happen."

My fingers tighten on my can as I stared down at it. "You don't think he would choose Raph, do you? I don't think I could stand that…I mean...Raph..."

Mikey drained the rest of his soda and reached for another can. "I can't see the future, Don. But I will make the best of it."

I looked up at him. "How the heck can you make the best of that?" I demanded.

Mikey shot me a wide, knowing grin. "I would see if I could get Raph to share."


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

When I woke up, it was very dark. I blinked my eyes, several times. But I still couldn't see any thing. I began to panic. What was going on? I couldn't see! I tried to sit up and instantly, regretted it. My head was pounding! I gave a small hiss of pain through me teeth.

"bout time ya got up." I turned towards the voice and could make out the shadow of Raph's figure. I felt a little be of relief wash over me. So I wasn't blind after all. "Raph.." I stopped, my voice sounded hoarse. My throat was raw.

"Here." I felt the lip of a cup, being pressed to my mouth. I drank, greedily. "slow down, Fearless." I heard Raph chuckle.

I took a smaller sip and forced myself to stop, licking the water from my lips. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"Figured, ya needed all the sleep you can get…"

I frowned trying to recall where here was. Don's lab…why was…Suddenly, the memory hit me. Frost..the deal….Mikey!

"Mikey!" I whispered, frantically! "Is he…"

"He is fine. Ya saved him, Fearless."

I settled back down on the cot…"What time is it?"

"About 2:40 in the morning." I relaxed a little. I was only out for a few hours. That wasn't too bad…

"On Wednesday." Raph added. I bolted upright. "WHAT?" I had been out for two days!

'Whoa! Take it easy, Fearless!" Raph said, grabbing me by the shoulders and forcing me back down. I squirmed. "I haven't trained…"

"And ya aint gunna!" Raph snapped, holding me down.

"Get off me!" I said, shoving him back, he leapt on top of me, slamming me back down, sitting on me.

"Damnit, Leo! They fucking drugged ya. You can't just jump up and aint like it was nothing!"

I looked up into his shadowy face; his golden eyes were glaring back at me, shinning in the darkness. He wasn't going to let me up.

"Okay." I said, defeated, looking away. I felt his grip on me loosen a tad, but he still held me. He spoke to me in a quieter tone. "Besides, you could use a few days off. You work too hard. Don says you're under weight again…"

I wrinkled up my nose. Curse Don and his nagging! I thought, bitterly. Who asked him?

Raph laughed, lightly. "Ya, I know that look. You don't care what happens to ya. But I do." He cupped my face with his hand and turned me, so I was facing him. "Look at me, Leo." I did. His eyes bored into me. "What did they really want you to do? I know it was more then just us staying out of their way. Those people wanted you for something.."

I sighed, dropping my eyes again. "Do the others know?" Raph shook his head. "No, but they know something isn't right."

"I am not positive. I didn't get all the details, but I think they want me to steal something for them. If I do that, they will leave you guys alone."

"Fucking no way!" Raph growled and his grip on my shoulder tighten. "You ain't doing nothing.."

"Actually, I did agreed." I said to him. He stopped his rant, short. "What? Why?" He wanted to know.

I looked up at him and our eyes locked. "They had you." I said simply. For a second, neither of us said anything. We just stared. Then with out warning, Raphael punched the pillow, right by me head. I held in a flinch as he began to shout.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU AGREE TO A SET UP? OVER ME?" My eardrums throbbed and I sighed.

"They said they would kill you." I answered. Why was he acting surprised? He should have guessed that I would have done anything to save me family.

I heard Raph let out a low growl, above me. "I can take care of myself, Leo."

Rage shot through my veins. "You were held hostage, you thick skulled moron!" I yelled. I watched his golden eyes go wide, surprised at my out burst. I glowered at him. "Honestly, Raph. You think I would just sit back and…"

"Yes…"Raph's reply came out, weakly. He was looking away now. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. "I thought….maybe.."

I stared up at him, shocked. "Are you crazy?" I asked him. " We fight, Raph! But I would never do that. What do you think that poorly of me?" My temper was reaching maximum. "How could possibly think that I do not care about you?"

"I dunno." Raph muttered, starting to get off of me, but I wasn't having that. This was serious. I reached up and grabbed him by the belt, holding him in place. He gave a bit of a gasp, but I ignored it. "You are not leaving, like you do when anything goes wrong! If you hate me so much that you think that I would…."

"I don't hate you, Leo.'

It was the way he said it. If he had done anything else, hit me, yelled, it would have had so little an affect on me. He sounded just like a little like when we were kids and we meant the whole to each other. I figured that I was the only one who still felt that way about my family. It was all I could do, not to cry. For years, I had figured that Raph just resented me. For years, I watched him change and felt responsible for it. To hear him say it so purely that he did not hate after all this…I hugged him.

He stiffened and then hugged me back. It was strange…but from the way he was breathing.. it sounded like he was crying too. I decided to not say anything. I closed my eyes. "Thank you, Raph."

"For what?" He said in my ear, breaking the hug. He was now looking every where except for me.

"For being there for me." Raph stared at me, and then quickly jumped off the cot. For a split second, he got a dark look on his face. It was hard to even tell what it meant, before I could identify it, it was gone. He backed up to the door.

"Well..yeah..I'll go get Don and Mikey…They don't know you are up…Lab sound-proof and all.." He opened the door and hurried out. I chuckled. It was probably way too emotional for him. Raph always did have trouble expressing himself. I closed my eyes again and smiled.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Michaelanglo's POV

I really did try not to laugh; I have never seen Raph look so flustered. Don and I looked up from our movie as he came and sat in the armchair. His eyes were huge.

"What's up, dude?"I asked, putting the movie on pause. He stared at the floor. "Leo is awake."

Both Don and I straighten. 'Really? How is he?"

"Very…hot.." Raph said, slowly. I blinked at him. I heard Don swallow. "You mean, he has a fever?"

"Maybe…but it took every thing I had not to screw him right then and there." My eyes about popped out of my head.

"You kidding?" I asked, leaning forward, eager. Don made a noise of disapproval. Raph shifted. "It's his fucking skin! Every time I touch him I get as horny as sin!" Don gasped, but I busted out laughing.

"Really? Damn. That is hot, Raph. I am surprised you gotta away with your life?"

Raph smiled a little. "It wasn't easy."

Don got to his feet. "Okay, I have had enough of this conversation. He headed over to the lab to check on our patient. Sour puss.

I grinned at Raph. "Ya know. It is kind of nice to be able to talk to you about this." I said. "I thought I was going insane when I first thought of kissing Leo."

"Well, ya aint." Raph said. He was getting his steam back. "So.." I went on. "Why didn't you?"

He raised his eyes, looking at me. "He said he didn't hate me…." My smile dropped off my face, so fast that I am sure the people in china could have felt it hit the floor. I waited as he went on. Raph rarely ever talked like this.

"I got to thinking…what if I kiss him…and then…you know…" Raph fell quiet. I frowned at him. "I don't think he will. Ya gotta give Leo a little more credit then that. Besides, now you're thinking like Donnie. It's why he never says anything to Leo. The guys is gonna crack, though."

Raph shrugged. "Maybe. All this is driving me crazy, too. I don't think I can do this much longer."

I nodded. "Ditto. It will be tough, but I think Leo will come around. Family is too important to Leo to let little a fact like, that we all want to fuck him, break him down. "

"Fuck, Mikey! Don't say it like that!" Raph snorted.

I grinned at him. "Show I say it another way?"

I stretched and then settled back down into the couch. "And maybe you are worrying for nothing, Raphie."

Raph narrowed his eyes at me. "How the heck so?"

"Cause at the rate, you're going. You are not even going to get a shot a Leo. He's gonna _be all_ _mine._ "

'Oh, is that so?" Raph got to his feet, cracking his knuckles. I let out a squeak. "Wait..Raph.." I leapt to my feet, jumping over the couch as Raph dove for me. I heard him smack into the coffee table. I didn't look back. I darted into the bathroom and locked the door. About two seconds later, the whole door shuddered.

"Open up, Mikey." I heard Raph's muffled voice through the door. As if! I knew instant death when I heard it!

"Uh..Mikey isn't here right now..Leave a message at the beep. BEEP!" I cried back.

"Yeah, I got your message right here." I heard Raph say.

Perfect. I put my ear to the door and Raph banged on it. "Ow!" I moaned, holding my head.

I looked around the bathroom.. looks like I was going to spend the rest of the night here…Me and my big mouth!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's PoV

It is fucking nuts when the bone head of the family makes the most sense. Who knew Mikey might have some wisdom in the area of hitching up? While the rest of us were running around besides ourselves, the little guy was totally taking it in strides. He really got me thinking, in fact, I was almost reconsidering going back into the lab and making Leo scream my name.

I would have if it wasn't for the fact that Don was in there and Mikey needed his butt kicked. Mikey was way too confident for his own good. So sort of figured it was my brotherly duty to knock him down a few notches. I was waiting outside the bathroom door, when Don came flying out of the lab. I can tell by the look on his face, something bad was going on.

"Don…" I started, but he rushed into the kitchen. I hear the fridge opening, some rummaging and then Don came back out, returning with ice packs and the frozen ice trays and even popsicles. He looked completely panicked. That was a shitty sign. I left the door unguarded, following him into the lab. The lights were now on inside, despite that it was only got 3am.

I was just about to ask Don if he was mental, when I saw Leo. I hadn't noticed how bad he had looked earlier because it had been dark, but now…he looked like he had been hit by a car. His skin was blinding, there was so more sweat. I could see droplets running down his face. His eyes were glassy. Holy….shit!

"Don.."

Don was stripping the sheets off Leo and throwing ice packs on him. Leo's eyes snapped further open. His mouth dropping, he tried to get the ice off of him but Don grabbed his wrists.

"Get over here and help me!" He yelled at me, over his shoulder.

"That hurts!" Leo almost moaned, shoving the ice away with his feet.

"What the shell.." I tried to say, coming over to Leo's other side. "His temperature is 102 degrees, Raph!" Donnie snapped, eyes blazing like someone how this was my fault. "We have to get it back down now!"

"Let go…I'm fine.." Leo muttered, frowning. He looked at me with tired eyes. "Tell him to quit it, Raph. I was just talking to you a minute ago…"

I shook my head at him. "You were pretty warm then, Leo. You have gotten worse."

Leo frowned at me. "I feel fine."

"You look like shit, bro." If Leo heard me swear, he didn't act like it. I felt a bit worried now.

'What's going on?" Mikey stood in the doorway, looking a bit afraid, since Don and I were trying to restrain Leo to his cot.

"Mikey, run a cold bath and fill it with ice! Hurry!" Don instructed, instantly. Mikey ran out the door with out another word. Then Don looked at me. "We need to get him to the tub." I swallowed. Leo hated being cold. This wasn't going to be easy. Right on cue, Fearless started complaining.

"Hell no.." Muttered Leo. "I am not being dunked in no damn tub of anti-freeze…"

That's how I knew Leo was sick. There was no way he would be cussing other wise. This was the guy who spent ninety percent of this time yelling at me for such an offense. The fever was frying up his brain. I jerked him out of the bed and flung him over my shoulder. I heard him gasp, but I was already heading out the door before he could start struggling.

"PUT ME DOWN!" He was yelling and trying to kick me. I grabbed his legs with one hand, trying to hold him steady.

"Knock it off!"

"LET GO! LET GO!" Leo was now into hysterics. He grabbed me by bandana and pulled so hard, that it threw my head back. Off balance, Leonardo saw the opportunity to jerk free from my grip. I landed on my rear. He was like trying to hold a greased up baby. He sprinted across the room in a weaving matter with Don hot on his heels.

"Leo! Stop!" Leonardo raced around the table, putting it in between them, his hot eyes on Don. I couldn't believe it. Leo was acting like he was five! But with a fever like his, I was surprise that he was putting up such a fight. His skin looked like glass and he was breathing funny.

"We got to get that fever down!" Don was telling him.

"No..ice…bath.." Leo wheezed, he leaned on the table. In that moment of weakness both me and Don jumped for him. Leonardo must have had some reflex, because he rolled across the table and Don and I smacked into each other, lying now in a heap on the floor. Okay…now I am starting to get pissed. I'm thinking that this calls for some extreme action.

Leonardo was stumbling to get to his room, when Mikey came out of no where and caught him. Leonardo looked at Mikey, who gave him a sad look. "Leo…please…if you get sick…and…."A big tear crept from Mikey's blue eyes. Leonardo stared at him and Mikey gently pulled him towards the bathroom. Leo was a sucker for cry babies, I noted.

"I don't…" Leo began, but Mikey pushed him inside, hard and sudden, and the next moment we heard splashing and a strangled yell. "Sorry." I heard Mikey mumble. I came over, poking my head inside. I couldn't believe it. Mikey was in the tub with Leo, holding Leo in. Leo's eyes were tightly close, he's mouth was already turning blue. Mikey's teeth were chattering, tears in his eyes. He looked so sad..

For a moment, I felt bad for him. It had to be tough…none of us wanted to hurt Leo..., but Mikey glanced at me and gave me a weak smile. "This is a closed party."

The moment was gone.

"Uh..good job, Mikey." Don said, coming up behind me. "Don't let him get out."

"Damn..you…all…" Leo said, in between shivers. Well, Leo had spunk, I'd give him that. I smirked. Leo sounded hot when he swore…then again I was beginning to think that he could look at me cross eyed and I would think it was hot. Maybe I was the one who needed the ice bath.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

You can call it what you want but I am having trouble keeping this challenge friendly. It's like now that it is out in the open….well except for Leo that is, every where I turn around Mikey and Raph are like talking about Leo…MY LEO… Talking about his skin, stealing his first kiss, hell, Raph and his vulgar mouth…Gah! I do **not** even want to go there. What the shell…they act like best buds! Hello! This is a fight! I do not get it. I am not going to let them have Leo. This is not a game…this is Leo…I think I would die if he was with one of them…

Mikey has been sitting in the tub with my Leo…the whole thing is disgusting…I guess I am jealous. I wish I had thought of that. Why did I have to be so freakin shy? It wasn't fair. All I had was my dreams and my secrets about Leo and now it is rubbed in my face all the time. Ironic?

I was worried about Leo's health and I was worried that I was losing him to boot. I can't stand the way Raph looks at him….I don't know what to do anymore….I feel so bottled up inside.

I paced in my lab again. It seems I was back to square one. I was no closer to Leo…probably even farther away. What am I going to do? Asking the others to back off did not work at all. Far from it, now they were even more determined to keep Leo away from me. Every spare second I had with Leo was interrupted by one of them. I was starting to get paranoid! I was always looking over my shoulder for them!

I looked over at into the lair. Leo was lying on the couch watching tv. Raph sat at the other ending, watching Leo instead of the movie. My fists balled up. I couldn't take this any more. I wanted to hurt Raph…really I did..just now…It was like every animal instinct screamed to attack…lucky I wasn't beyond self-control…yet…

However, I decided I wasn't going to stand there either. I strolled over to where they were. "Hey." I said, quietly. "I can I join you?" I noticed Raph shot me an irritated glance as Leo nodded, sitting up. I sat down in between them, forcing Leo to move over.

Ha! Score one for me, finally! As the movie went on I had to admit, I felt pretty pleased with myself. I was thinking that maybe I had a chance for once, when Leo's head slumped onto my shoulder. I turned to look at him. He was out cold….now I felt awkward….I mean…he was sleeping on my shoulder…his light breathing tickling my arm with each breath. My imagination was starting to run wild! Oh...gah...

I was getting uncomfortable…what was worse was the way Raph was grinning at me. "Lookie. Brainic has got himself in a tight spot. Having some trouble down south are we?"

My face flushed. "Go to hell!" I whispered back, Raph's mouth stretched wider, he chuckled and looked back at the movie. I shifted a little trying to gently, move Leo into a spot where he was not breathing on my skin and he fell forward right into my lap…

"WHOA!" I jumped, startling Leo awake. He opened his eyes, looking up at me with a foggy expression. "Donnie..can you just sit still?" He grumbled, turning on his side and using my thigh as a pillow. My throat ran dry. Damn…..oh…At least he was facing the tv….

"Ya know…I can give you a hand, Don." Raph mentioned in my ear, suddenly. "If you want me to take him for ya..just say the word. Ya know he won't care….he don't think like you and me…then you can go hide in your little lab…"

I considered it….I actually considered it, but I shook my head, staring down at Leo's pale skin in the glow of the tv light. I knew that Raph was using my shyness as a way to get Leo to himself. It was not going to work this time.. "I'm ok…." I said..I put a hand on Leo's shoulder casually and relaxed when he didn't jump up and start kicking my shell. In fact, he didn't move at all..Just sighed, dead to the world. It was fine. I was fine...in fact, I was great!

I looked at Raph, giving him a big grin. "My turn, don't you think?" He shot me a scowl but shrugged. He was pretending that it was no big deal. But I knew it was bothering him. I felt like showing off...I gentle traced Leo's shoulder down to his forearm, feeling the skin…he was still warm…he felt right to me….like I should be the one to hold him. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

Raph gave a low growl. "Ya pushing it…"

I met his eyes. "Am I?" I asked, in a challenging tone, still leaned over Leo. Raph gave me a look that made me falter a little, but our staring contest was interrupted by a loud snore from Mikey in the armchair. It was so loud that I thought I was being attacked by a bear!

Leonardo jerked awake, sitting up so fast, his shoulder smacked into my mouth. I cried out, grabbing at my face. He looked at me confused. "Don? Oh…I'm sorry…"

"It's fine.." I said in a muffled tone…I got up to go check the damaged in the bathroom mirror, silently cursing Mikey. It looked like I was going to be okay. There was just a red mark under my chin…but it was nothing serious. I sighed, heading back out to find both Leo and Raph gone from the couch. I felt a rush of fear. Freaking A! Did he take Leo…to…

Raph came down the hall on the second floor heading to his room, alone. He shot me a grin and gave me a little wave, before disappearing into his room. I looked upstairs towards Leo's room. There was a candle lit there. A rush of air that I had been holding came out of me. Leo was in his room and Raph was in his own…it was nothing to worry about…At least, I hoped that was the case…

Shell…I bet Raph had suggested that Leo go up to his room….That jerk….once again Raph had taken Leo from me…..


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

I feel especially pathetic now a days. Maybe it is because I have this nasty fever now, so my brothers have taken to well…mothering me….I mean take this morning…I tried to go mediate and Mikey was waiting to stop me by my door. I almost stepped on him. He had a blanket and a pillow there….sleeping! I am starting to think they don't trust me. Later, I went to go get some tea…but Don insisted I had soup.. Soup is the ultimate sign of being ill..

Then to top it all off, when I tried to go to my room and Raph wouldn't let me go upstairs. He wanted to take my temperature! So the next thing I know he has his mouth on my forehead….IT WAS SO EMBARASSING!

I am hiding out in the bathroom now. The only place I can get some time alone…as long as you lock the door.(when will Raph learn to knock!) My brothers seemed to be getting along okay…but I still sense something was amiss. It was weird…it was like they were fighting….in a different way now. Maybe I am making a mountain out of an ant hill.

The thing that actually is bothering me the most right is Frost. I keep feeling like I will be running into them again. I fear for my family. I had gone back on my deal with them and now I was hiding like a coward under ground. I knew I was going to have to face them if I ever wanted my family to be truly safe. The problem was that Raphael seem to expect it..

I am sure many would laugh. I can't count how many times I have caught Raph sneaking out of the lair over the years. Now we had a role reversal. He was catching me…

"And where do you think you're going, sickie?" He would demand, arms cross, giving me a hard glare. I wonder if that is how I looked.

So now I have become a prisoner over night. I sighed , leaning against the wall. There was a bang on the door. "Leo? You in there?"

No..in New Jersey. Where else would I be? I rolled my eyes at the sound of Don's voice. Don was a mystery to me. One minute he seems to be fine and the next sulking in the corner for no good reason.

"Yes." I called out. My head hurts horribly, but I do not think it is the fever's fault.

"Mikey made you some tea. Why don't you come out? You have been in there a long time. Are you ok?"

I thought about drowning myself in the bath tub, then got up and unlocked the door. Don stepped in, closing the door behind him. He looked me over. "Why are you in here?"

"There is no where else to go." I grumbled. He looked confused, but I decide to leave it at that. I knew they were trying to help, honestly I did. Maybe I just wasn't use to this…I have been in charge for so long…I didn't know how to not be now.

He came over and put a hand on my shoulder, as if reading my thoughts. "Its okay…You're fever is almost gone. Soon you will back in the dojo."

"I should be back in there now. You guys, are over reacting…"

"Do you blame us? You gave us a scared. Twice within 24 hours. You are just going to have to get over being fussed over for a change." Don said with a tiny hint of a smile.

I sighed, but nodded. "That is a tall order, Donnie."

He laughed and opened the door. "Just relax and go with it. You might like it…"

I followed him out. I doubt that.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Michaelanglo's POV

Leo has seemed to kind of been…I dunno…quiet, lately. I imagine he is trying to figure us out. I catch him staring at us…His face is always expressionless. But his eyes betray him. He is anxious… scared about something. I don't like it when Leo gets like this. Leo doesn't normally hide things from us. I was thinking maybe it had something to do with my failure on the roof top. He could be planning training exercises for me…Heck I would take them…

It was close to a week until Donnie felt satisfied enough with Leo's health to allow him train. Leo stayed in there for hours, even Raph decided to let him be. In was a break down, Leo was working himself crazy to make up for the lost time.

I watched him, quietly as he went through his routine. He was working up a sweat, his muscles were straining. He was going to hurt tomorrow. I watched him for about a hour, then headed off to get a drink, when I returned, I was just in time to spot the door of the lair closing. The dojo was silent. I glanced inside and my suspicions were confirmed. Leo wasn't there.

Why was Leo sneaking out? I glanced at the lab where Don was and then the kitchen where Raph was located. But, when I opened my mouth to tell them, I fell quiet. I didn't want them racing after Leo and dragging him back….there had to be a reason…

So I decided to shadow my big brother. I followed him, trying to evoke my stealth training. By the time we got to First Street, I knew where we were heading and to my shock, Leo knew I was there.

"Can I help you, Mikey?" He asked, pausing on a roof top, looking down where we had fought just days earlier. I schooled a wince. I should have known better. Leo was a master at picking up on others.

No use, hiding now. I swaggered over to him, trying to play it cool, but when he turned and gave me that annoyed look, I hunched up my shoulder for a split second. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

He looked back down at the building. "I suppose I will have to tell you since you are here."

I frowned. What was he talking about? Wait! Was this the reason why he has been acting so stand offish? I held my breath, waiting.

"When Frost spoke to me…"Leo began, eyes forward. A spark of enrage shot down my spine just at the mere mention of the chick's name. But I held fast, not wanting Leo to discontinue.

"They didn't just say they wanted us out of the picture. In fact…they threaten to harm you guys, if I did not cooperate with a certain proposal of theirs."

For a space in time, I was unable to grasp what the shell he was saying, and then it struck home hard. "They were blackmailing you into something? What?" I exclaimed, mortified to the spot. The whole thing had been a set up. They had meant to snag Leo.

"That is the problem. I never really got around to hearing the rest of the arrangement. I am assuming a theft."

I gaped at him. "You mean stealing?" Leo gazed at me with some aggravation. "are you going to keep on repeating everything I say?" He voiced. I wet my lips. "Leo…why…hold up! You are going to meet these people!" I cried.

He merely raised his shoulder at me. "I don't really have a choice. I do not want them hunting us down because of me. I do not want you guys caught in the crossfire again."

I felt a twinge of sadness in my heart. He was so thoughtless. He really did put us first. I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind him, resting my cheek on his shell.

I knew I had taken him by surprise because of how taut he felt in my hold. "You know, Leo." I said to him a muffled tone. "I love you."

I meant that with ever fiber of my being. I did love him. He slackens a bit in my hold. I heard him chuckle, softly. "Love you too." It made my heart want to break. I knew he did love me…but not in the same way…not yet anyways. I was still hopeful.

That is when I kicked him in the back of the knees. He went down hard. I winced a little as his shell made an awful scraping noise as it collided with the pavement. There was no going back. I stood over him, bearing down.

"Which is why I'm not letting you meet that devil lady." I told him, seriously. He stared up at me astonished. It made him look sooooooooo cute!

I liked it when Leo got all flabbergasted it, just as much when he was being heroic. But that does not mean that I was about to let him off easy.

I gave him my best serious look. I wanted him to know that I meant business. "That's right! If you want to get any closer then you have to go through me!"

Time stood still. I heard him take a breath before he spoke.

"Mikey, stop messing around."

I put my fists on my hips, legs spread in my best superhero pose. Ya that's right! Turtle Titan got game. All others eat your heart out.

"I will do what ever it takes to keep you from doom, mi'lady!" okay, now I was messing with him. I was stalling. I was also trying to think of excuses for him to realize that he did not have to do this. 'You will have to fight me, Leo…."


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

For those of you who are reading this, I will not be updating for a week after this….I am going on a trip of enlightenment! :D Which means a beach! Woot!

Raphael's POV

Ya think I would have noticed sooner. Leo being quiet is one thing, but Mikey on the other hand… As Leo always said, "A little too quiet." I got up to go find my leader, only to find nothing. Nada. No Leo. No mikey. That spells trouble, don't it? I had to hand it to Mikey. He was one sneaky little devil. I decided to see what Don was up to. He might have an idea where those two ran off.

I as I entered the lab, Don appeared to working on something at the table….I couldn't really see what it was but, heck I didn't really care. At least I didn't walk in on him and his Leo pictures again…I gave a shudder…

"Yo, Don. Ya seen Leo?" I asked him, leaning against the doorframe. Don didn't even look up. I glanced him over. I was pretty sure he didn't have head phones on…but I could be wrong. "Donnie!" I called, even louder then before. Don moved from his table, walked past me to his computer, grabbed a piece of paper from his printer and went back to work.

Now I get it. He was ignoring me. But why? I racked my brain for a moment, then decided to fuck the whole thing and just ask him straight out. "Don, why ya being an ass again? I forget?"

He gave me a heated look, but it was acknowledgement never the less. "Really? You don't know?"He snapped at me. I gave him a look. "Why else would the hell I ask?"

"Get out of my lab, Raph." He said, coldly, point, stiff armed at the door. I didn't budge. "Wait is this about Leo again?" When he said nothing at all I got my answer. I rolled my eyes

" Man, ya got a seriously jealously problem. It agreed that it was just a friendly competition."

Don came around the table, getting up in my face, which was a real fucking accomplishment since he was shorter then me. "Nothing that involves the mere _chance_ of you getting Leo is friendly."

Okay, now I get it. He was suggesting that I was going to win and he was afraid. Damn straight! He should be afraid. "Let me guess. Mikey aint a threat to ya too."

Don's eyes flashed. "Mikey is just playing along. It's just admiration, like a fan. He doesn't love Leo like I do."

"And mikey told you this." I demanded. The guy was now starting to get the hell on my nerves. He was walking around like he knew what was best for everyone!

He opened his mouth, but I cut him off. "Ya know Donnie, you out of all of us, the guy with all the brains, is acting the most fucking stupid!"

Don's eyes narrow. "Just stay away from Leo, you jerk!" He growled.

"Fuck you, Donnie!" I shot back. I couldn't believe the way he was acting. "And just so ya know, Leo isn't even here. He is out with Mikey! So why don't you take that into fucking consideration!"

Don didn't take that lightly. He looked like I had suckered punched him in the gut. "w-what…" He began. He raced over to his computer and began typing away. Right…not the reaction I was expecting.

I sighed. "Now, what are you doing?"

Don didn't look up from the computer. "Isn't it obvious? Leo, wouldn't go out….not unless he was going to meet with those people…." "what..why.."

"I over heard Leo talking to someone on the shell phone the other day….apparently, they have his signal…they have been calling him a lot….I didn't want to say anything to him…I was hoping he wouldn't…

I grabbed Don by the back of the shell and spun him around to face me. "WHAT? YOU KNEW THEY WERE STALKING HIM AND DIDN't SAY ANYTHING!"

He shoved me back, knocking my hands aside. "Just like you didn't tell me that they wanted him to steal shit for them, Raph. You both kept that secret from me!"

I wanted to wring his fucking neck….it was tempting, but Leo was the priority. "I will deal with you later."

"Don't put your tough guy routine on me, Raphael. I'm not Leo. I am not going to cut you any slack!" Don shouted at me.

"You're right, Don. You're not fucking Leo! So stop telling me what the hell to do! Or anyone else for that matter!" I snarled at him, retreating into the lair. Don followed, grabbing his bag as he went. "Same goes for you! I will do what I want concerning Leo."

I opened the door to the lair. "Good luck, ya little prick!"

We headed down the sewer, Don had his shell tracker out, looking at our brothers markers. "Thanks, you asshole." Don replied.

"I'm warning ya, Don. Youse about to get a fucking fist in the mouth!" My accent was getting thicker as I got angrier. What was his deal?

"Yeah, that's how you solve everything." Don muttered. I punched him. I probably shouldn't have, but he was pissing me off to no end. It clocked him, in the side of the head. He hit the wall and slid down, blood trailed down from where the wall had ripped at his flesh.

He jumped to his feet and screamed, charging right into me. I hit the other side and bounced off. We landed in the sewer water at our feet, rolling together. Water sprayed all over the place.

"Let the fuck go!"

"Damn you!" Don screamed, smacking me with the back of his hand. "You take everything!"

"What the fuck are you babbling about?" I shoved him back off of me. He stared at me, tears and blood on his cheeks.

"I was suppose to be second in command. I am smarter then you. It should have been me and Leo! Not you! You jump in with all our stupid hotheadedness and Splinter says how much passion you have!

"What the fuck? You led when Leo was in South…"I began, but Don threw his hands up, water spraying.

"I wanted to lead with Leo! The only reason Splinter did that was because you took off! You ruin everything! Now you go after Leo for yourself! I am not sitting back and taking this!"

I was beyond stunned. I was pretty sure my brain actually had shut down for a while. I had always thought that Don had no interest in leading. He had always been so quiet about it all.

My rage flared. "Let me get this straight. You're blaming me because you were too fucking chicken to grow some _**balls**_ and tell Splinter you wanted to be co-leader? Are you kidding me?"

Don looked at me surprised. Apparently the genius had never saw it that way. Go figure. Just like everything else in this family. I was getting the blame!

He looked frazzled. Like he was searching for a way out. "You don't even like Leo…"He started.

"Yes! I do and I will tell you why, since you are so thick headed! Leo is the only one who will back me in this fucking family. You blame me for all your problems! You only think of me as some hot head! Maybe I am, but Leo expects more from me! He trusts me! He wanted me to lead with him! Got it! It wasn't just Splinter. Leo always felt that I should have been leader. "

Don gave me a wild eyed look, but I kept going. He was on the ropes now.

"Mikey is okay with me, but he picks you guys over me. You have been a freakin recluse. Splinter is always disappointed and I realized that Leo would take all that shit for me. He would take Splinter's anger. Leo got blamed for stuff I did all the time and he took it. I was afraid that he would explode, so I decide that I would take Leo's anger. So yes, I pick fights with him! And maybe sometimes, I felt like I hated him for doing this for me, but really…." I trailed off, Don was staring me, A look of complete guilt.

I took a deep breath…"I don't hate my family…especially Leo. Leo listens to me…He isn't afraid of me….he trusts that I won't really hurt him..even when I lose complete control….he still trusts me…" I said more quietly.

"Raph…." Don said after a moment…"I didn't…"

"Course, ya didn't. I'm done talking about this. Now are we gonna find Leo and Mikey or do ya need another sob story?" I got to my feet and held my hand out to him.

Don gave me a sheepish smile "Let's go find them ,bro."


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

It was times like this that I hate being who I am. My baby brother was looking at me determinately. I was still hoping that he was joking. But his eyes told me otherwise. He would fight me. I sighed, getting to my feet. "Mikey…"I began, but Mikey put a hand up, palm facing me.

"Save your breath, Leo. There is nothing to talk about. You will not change my mind. Those people are no good, dude! You can't honor some wacky deal with people who don't even know what honor smells like!" He looked at me, his eyes narrowed. It has been a long time since I have seen Mikey look like this. Serious.

But so was I. It was my fault we got involved with the Shredder and then I trusted Karai. She came after my family hard, looking for me. I couldn't have that again. We had just gotten comfortable. I didn't want to see them hurt…not when I can stop it from happening this time…

"I don't want to do this. I don't want to fight you." I told Mikey quietly. He stared back at with pleading eyes. "Then don't…come back to the lair with me." He answered. I shook my head.

"You should go back to the lair. I don't need another brother to be blackmailed with." I said it coldly. I knew how sensitive Mikey is, but he just set his jaw and stood his ground. I sighed. Then there was no other choice. My heart sunk, but I force my breathing down until I could barely feel it. I was ready.

We didn't speak; we didn't draw weapons that would come later, if at all. I wanted this over quick. Who knew when the others would notice our absence? Then I would have all three of them up here and I could not do that. It had to swift.

We just both knew. Both knew it was time to strike. He darted towards me and my body tensed. I have to do this. I reminded myself. For family. I have to do this!

My training took over. I watched for openings and was caught off guard, when Mikey landed a blow on me. It wasn't much. He clipped me barely on the shoulder; I had managed to block much of the punch. But, it still sent me back a couple paces. I looked back at him, startled.

He danced back from me, his blue eyes, darker then normal. They were focused. I knew Mikey's fighting style. It was as light and playful as was his personality. Don't get me wrong, he had style and could pack quite a wallop, but he fought the way he felt. We each did. Don was calculating and almost scientific in his style. Raph was impulsive as sin and a lot of force. Mikey was more flashy and quick.

He struck at my head with a fist that almost nailed me in the jaw if I hadn't side stepped. Yeah, I knew how Mikey would fight and this wasn't it. He was fast. A whole lot faster then what he had been showing me on the mats. It was like fighting a different person. My eyes narrowed. Two could play this game. I changed my fighting style. I picked up the pace and began throwing similar moves at him.

It was becoming a blur of movement around me, but I steeled my mind on him, blocking and punching where I could. He was doing the same. I was impressed. He was keeping up better then Raph. Raphael would have just screamed and knocked me over by now. He didn't have the patience for this. But, Mikey didn't have height on his side though nor the weight.

It wasn't slowing him down though. He slammed his forearm forward and I blocked with my own. Once again I was surprised to find the harsh force behind it. A dull pain throbbed in the area; it was nothing I couldn't handle. However, it was the proof I needed.

Mikey was determined to really beat me. Not just win this fight, but make sure I wasn't going any where. He had a lot of force following these punches. Apparently, he had been paying attention during me drills with him. The lazy turtle!

I frowned at him, as he came at me, bringing me knee up, aiming for his abdomen. He stopped short, spinning out of the way. He dropped down, swing his leg out, trying to knock my feet out from under me, but I leapt up, kicking out as I did.

He bared his teeth, flipping back to avoid the kick, but I was waiting. I jumped over him, somersaulting, landing directly behind him.

I threw my arms around him from behind, crushing him against my chest. "Stop this, Mikey!" I told him as he struggled against me. He gave a low growl, but other then that he said nothing. Normally you couldn't get Mikey to shut up when he was fighting. Naw, I take that back. Mikey was never quiet. This whole fight was so out of character that is was plain shocking to me.

He gripped my arms, pulling me sideways; his elbow aimed at my forehead. I ducked, pulling free from his grasp and rolled across the rooftop, stopping, lightly on my feet. I stayed squatting, waiting.

He glared at me, from across the rooftop. I could see the wheels turning in his brain on what to do next. He couldn't beat me like this.

I straighten to my full height. "You have been holding back on me."

He didn't respond. It was really starting to freak me out. "Mikey, please be…"

He reached up and pulled his nunchucks from his belt. He let them dangle loosely from his sides. My voiced died in my throat. A numb feeling spread through me. I still could not believe this was happening. Not with Mikey. I couldn't even express my sadness. I just felt empty. Out of place in this whole predicament.

"Is this really what you want?" I asked him. I knew the answer, but I didn't want it. I wanted Mikey just to start laughing and tell me it was all a joke. Mikey flicked his wrists and his nunchucks slowly began to rotate, picking up speed.

Wow. This was just getting better and better. When Splinter decided to make me leader did he have any clue that I would have to fight my own brother to keep my family together?

I brought my hands up, my fingertips brushing against the hilt of my katanas. But I could not bring myself to unsheathe them. I gazed at my youngest brother. I swore I saw his eyes glisten. He was crying. I knew how he felt. But could I do this? Could I cut him like an enemy? I would have to use force to stop him. Was this the only way?

My body stood there, hands on my swords, but not moving. Not even when Mikey starting running towards me. I lowered my hands. No, I would beat Mikey…but I wasn't going to hurt him. He was not my enemy. He was my family. I did not need my katanas for this.

In fact, I knew I would do the same thing for Mikey. I would fight him to stop him. It was a shame that I could see his side, but he could not see mine. That he could not see what would happen if I did not meet the clan. Everything….destroying Shredder…peace with Karai…it would all be in vain.

But, I was not going to use my swords on him. This wasn't like practice. He was my kid brother. I took a deep breath, deciding, and then I closed my eyes and waited for him.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Mikey's POV

You know, I am sure Donnie would say this whole mess was ironic. I mean, here I have been waiting nothing more but to fight with Leo and now I was stuck at stopping him from making one flipping big mistake. So now I REALLY had to fight him. Karma?

I knew the nunchucks might seem a bit extreme, but I figure that this was the guy that we had to chase around the lair when he had a drugged and feverish body, so extreme would be necessary.

I didn't like the way he was looking at me. He should have been angry. He should have been mad as hell. But he was fighting me off the whole time with this total despairing look. I knew in his head, the guy was already beating himself up for this. It was typical Leo.

He kept trying to get me to talk about it, but I couldn't. Not over the lump in my throat. I am not sure when the tears started flowing, but they were. I couldn't stand how sad he looked. It was against my every instinct to draw my weapons out on him. But, I didn't want to lose him. I needed him.

When he stared back at me, I could tell he knew. He wasn't blaming me. He wasn't saying I was acting childish. He completely understood, yet knew he could not just go home with me.

He just peered at me with eyes that were breaking my heart.

I watched him reach for his swords, but stop. He kept my steady gaze and for a moment, we both waited.

I wanted this over and I wanted him back at the lair where I could make sure he never left again. My toes pushed off against the rooftop and I was racing at him, nunchucks spinning.

He lowered his arms; he wasn't going to use his katanas. I realized. I should have felt some relief, but I didn't. It made me feel lower than dirt. I was going at him with every thing I had and he was holding back. Why was he holding back? Was it because of me? Of course it was. I told myself. He didn't want to fight me and he wasn't going to _really_ fight me. In fact, he closed his eyes!

I felt annoyance flare in me. Didn't want to fight? Well, I was going to make him! I gave a loud cry, swinging with every ounce of strength I had. The nunchuck whipped through the air, heading for his neck.

There was a smack and I gave a small gasp. He had caught it with his bare hand._ He hadn't even opened his eyes_. It was like he had just reached up and plucked it from the air. If I had the time, I would have admired the awesomeness of it, but unfortunately, Leo yanked me forward. He seized my wrist with his other hand and swung me flat out, across the rooftop.

"Whoa!" I yelled as I flung through the air, crashing into a brick wall of upper part of the next roof top. I groaned, sliding down it, seeing stars and maybe even some fairies. But I had no time to recover, because Leo was grasping me by the front of my plastron, lifting me up and into the wall again. He had me pinned against it, my feet dangling. Dude was amazing. I knew he was strong and cool..but this…was _hot_…Whoa now! Focus, Mikey! Focus!

He stared up at me with the same sad expression as before. "Mikey. Please. Look at it from where I stand." I could hear the pleading in his tone. He was still trying to figure a way out of fighting me. Still. Leo never did give up.

I gave him a smile. His eyes brighten hopefully, he was thinking that I was giving in. But he had another thing coming. I kicked out. He let go of me with one hand to block my foot. My other foot touched the ground awkwardly, but it was all the leverage I needed. I smashed my forehead into his chin. Yeah, I had just headbutted him. It was more Raph's style, but heck, I was getting desperate here.

He made a sharp noise, his head jerking back. Quickly, I punched him hard in the chest, not giving him a moment to get his wind. He fell backwards and I shot forward with him, using the wall to push off. We hit the pavement, I straddled him, using my nunchuck to brace across his chest and arms.

He gave a small groan, turning his head sideways to spit out blood and I felt a little bad. Maybe I had hit him a little too hard. Must of have bit the inside of his cheek or something.

"I can see it from your side, Leo." I told him, softly. I drew his attention back, his eyes wide. Poor guy.

"You would do anything for us. It is why you're my idol. But, Raph said something to me that got me thinking." I continued. He wasn't struggling, but I knew any second he was going to put me flat on my shell. I need to keep his focus on my words.

I let go of my nunchuck with one hand and touch where the bruise was already forming on his lower jaw. "You don't take care of yourself. You don't include yourself at all as something to keep safe and protected." I chuckled a little. "It is crazy that Raph is totally right. Who knew, right? He knows you pretty good. Guess all that fighting does pay off."

Leo shifted a little under me. He was getting his bearings. Guy never did like talking about himself. I had to keep him distracted. I swallowed, trying get my breathing down.

I ran my hand down to his neck, gently. I could feel his even, calm pulseline under my fingertips. _Seriously...he wasn't even sweating!_ I thought, peeved. His eyes blinked back at me as I spoke.

"Raph said that maybe it was time we started taking care of you. Leo. You aren't just a walking sacrifice. You're family too. We should all decide what to do with these people. Not just you."

I watched his mouth part, he was about to argue. This is where my knowledge of Leo kicks in. You do not want to argue with the guy. You would lose. But I gave him no chance. "I'm sorry." I told him and jabbed him square in a pressure point on his throat. He stiffens, his eyes still locked with mine, dulling and then sliding shut. I felt his body slacken as he past out. I bit my lip. "Sorry, bro. Really, I am." I whispered.

Yeah, it was very sneaky. It was probably down right unsportsmanlike to do what I did next, but I couldn't care less. I had never felt so bad in my life for what I had just done to him, so I figured there was nothing else to lose.

I gripped his jaw with both hands, listening to his soft breathing, and pressed my mouth to his. Right, I know Raph said it didn't count when he was unconscious, but heck, I could live with that.

It was awkward at first, but his mouth was soft and warm. He tasted a bit like peppermint. Probably his tea. I felt a bit of a thrill at the thought. I was pretty sure no one else knew that Leo tasted like this. Every battle deserves a reward at the end, right?

I didn't want to draw back, but I did, licking my lips. I rested my forehead against his. "Now, if only I could do that while you are awake." I told him. I sighed, closing my eyes and stayed like this for a moment. I didn't want to forget this. When Leo woke, he was going to be pissed at me, but I would have this memory. This memory could let me face a volcano with confidence. Wow, why did my life have to suck sometimes? It was a nasty shame. After all, we just wanted to have peace.

I opened my eyes, tracing his jaw and feeling a little bit guilty about the bruise again. He hadn't given me much of a choice. I said to myself. Just as the world hadn't given us much choice either. Yup, that pretty much summed it up.

I studied his face and then sat back, pulling out my shell cell. I wasn't in any hurry to get off him just yet, so I stayed where I was, straddling his hips. It was a shame that I would have to call the others, but I wasn't sure if I could get Leo back to the lair by myself. The guy had worn me out! It had been a long time since I had to fight to that degree. Leo was tougher then most bad guys I had faced!

I think I should take my training a bit more seriously…I shook my head, smiling a tad. Well, time to call the cranky pants.

I punched in Don's number and was hoping he was in a better mood, when I felt a sharp pain in my side. I gave a gasp, looking down at my right side. I felt a cool rush, shooting through my body and my vision was swaying. _What was going on?_

I forced myself to focus on my side. I could see the tip of something sticking out…my brain felt sluggish. Tranquilizer..shit…..Frost! It had to be her….had to get Leo out of here….

I felt my body lock down and I fell sideways off of Leo, hitting the pavement, my hand sprung open of its own accord. The shell cell sliding away from me. **NO!** I tried to move but had no reaction. I stayed where I was on my side, one leg still half draped over my leader's stomach.

My mouth opened but nothing came out. The drug was having a faster affect on me because of how tired I already was…I had to get up…I could see people's feet in my limited vision, standing around me. They were coming!

The edges of my sight were growing dark. Get up..get up..**GET UP**! My brain was screaming, but my body remained limp.

"Mikey?" I could hear Don's voice on the shell cell as he came on to the line. He sounded scared. Damn…if only I could reach it…..I had to warn them…._Had TO SPEAK!_

"D-Donnie…." My voice came out barely more than a whisper. He couldn't hear me.

"MIKEY?" His voice was getting louder, but it felt like there were a dozen of bees droning in my ears. Everything was getting blocked out by the buzzing sound in my head.

"Mikey….where are you?" Don was saying, he sounded downright frantic on the other line. My pulse felt like it was slowing, my heart beat echoing inside my head.

"Mikey! Are you okay?"

That was the last thing I heard.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

I had the phone pressed so hard against the side of my face that I was sure it would make a permanent imprint on the side of my head. I strained trying to hear any sound that let me know of my little brother's existence. There was nothing. No sounds is never good when it comes to Mikey.

"What?" I felt Raph's rough fingers grasping my shoulder. "What is it? Are they okay?"

His voice was quiet; he was trying to hide his panic. I licked my lips, the sound of my blood rushing in my head. "I-I don't know, Raphie…" I told him.

I turned to look at him. "He isn't answering."

I watched Raph's golden eyes narrow at me.

"Nothin'? Are you sure?" His grip on my shoulder tightens. I winced and nodded.

Raph swore, taking the lead down the tunnel. I quickly follow. We both knew where we were headed now. Neither of us talked. We were both caught up in our own thoughts. My fears were coming true right before my very eyes.

_Please! Let me be wrong! Let them be okay!_

As we approached the surface, Raph was sprinting now. He scaled the ladder and headed up into the night air, without even waiting up for me. I quicken my pace. By the time he reached the roof tops, He broke out into a dead flat run. 'Raph!"

I tried to call him back, but he kept going. _Insane, lunatic!_ He could be running right into a trap for all we knew! I had to get him to stop! I pumped my arms, increasing my speed.

"Raph! Stop!" I tried again, but he was still running for all he was worth. As he neared the rooftop by First Street, I finally had enough. I flung myself forward, grabbing onto his shell from behind. We tumbled down onto the rooftop, flipping over onto our sides.

He shook me off like I was an ant, getting to his feet. "NO!" I shouted, grabbing his ankle. For the first time, Raph seem to notice me. He glared at me. "Get. Off." He said, darkly. His features were dark, his gold eyes shot out at me in the blackness like two beams of light.

"No, you nut! You can't go barging down there without checking it out." I snapped back up at him.

"If we wait, we will be too late!" He growled, his teeth bared like some rabid animal. I do not think that Raph knows just how scary he looks when he is mad. Mikey often jokes about renting him out for horror films. The clown did have a point.

"We could already be too late! They might of have been the ones to call us, instead of Mikey! It could be a trap to lure us out, so we can be killed! Use your brain for once and keep that stupid temper in check!"

Raph let out a hiss of anger. But he didn't move. His hands were clenching and unclenching by his sides. I held my breath, hoping he didn't lash out at me like I had seen him do so many times with Leo.

He looked up at the sky. And then back down. Raph stared at me, and then pulled his leg away out my grip. He didn't run though, he walked, sticking to the shadows. I let out the air I had been holding. He already had hit me once tonight; I didn't want to barter for another.

I kept close to him, my eyes peeled for any sign of movement and of my brothers. So far nothing. We peered down at the roof top. Nothing. They weren't there. My heart sank.

"Fuck this." Raph snarled next to me and he leapt down before I could stop him. Gah! Did he ever listen!

I went after him, landing next to him, softly. He was already checking out the scene and picking up Mikey's shell cell off the ground. He looked back at me gravely. I took the phone from him, studying it. There were no clues at all.

"They fucking took them…." Raph was losing it next to me. I checked my tracker, ignoring him. I had lost Mikey's marker, but Leo appeared to still have his shell cell on him. Hope rose up in my soul. Now if…

The phone rang in my hands. I jumped, dropping it. Raph spun on his heels and had the phone before I could register what he was doing.

"WHAT?" He thundered into it. Then he listens for a moment. "IF YOU HURT THEM…." It was the clan! I ripped the phone from his hand, pressing to my head.

"I will do as I please." It was a man's voice. It was probably the same guy who had been holding Raph hostage.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him. There was a beat and then I held the man inhale.

"Who is this?"

"Their brother!" I told him, trying to keep calm. I had to keep the guy on the phone and listen for some clues.

"Ah. The smart one? Am I right?" He said to me. I frowned, but he couldn't see that. This guy had way too much information to be totally new at this.

'I will let you in on a little secret. If you are so smart, you will walk away and go back to your home. Your brothers will be allowed to go free once the job is done."

"That is not good enough." I snapped into the phone.

"It _will_ be good enough." He retorted. "Or I will kill you both now. It makes no difference to me."

I looked around, frantically. We were surrounded. All along other rooftops stood ninjas, bows draw, arrows at the ready. Aw..really..I shot Raph a glare. It was a trap. I hate it when I'm right.

"Then why don't you?" I asked and Raph's eyes snapped to me. Then back at the archers. He looked ready to burst. But I stayed calm. I had to.

"I assume it will make Leonardo angry, if I terminated you vermin."

"It will make Leo mad if you hurt Mikey." I told him.

"Aw. The other. Indeed." The man said in an idle tone.

"He had nothing to do with this. You should let him go." I began, but the man laughed in my ear.

"And lose my bargaining chip? No. How dumb do you think I am? He will guarantee that I will have no trouble from you or your leader. I assume you are not smart enough to raise the dead. So, turn around and start walking! I will be watching!" He commanded. Then he hung up. The phone going dead.

_Damn!_

"Come on. We gotta leave." I told Raph. He didn't budge. "I ain't leaving without Leo and Mikey." He said, roughly. I grabbed his wrist. "You won't leave at all in a second! How the hell are we supposed to rescue them then?"

Raph growled, but let me pull me along. We walked slowly…defeated. For now. The arrows pointing at us, followed. I kept a firm grasp on Raph, just in case he had any thoughts about latching onto the nearest archer and making us into freakin turtle kabobs.

The hothead growled the whole way and once we dropped down into an alley way and were hidden from the archers, he grabbed me. I hit the alley way with a gasp. Raph held me against it, pressing me into it.

"What da FUCK, Donnie!" He screamed in my face, spit hitting my cheek. "We just ran away! Those mother fuckers have Leo and Mikey and we just left them!"

"Get off me, Raph." I growled back at him. "I am trying not to get us killed! I told you it was a trap! Gah! Can't you see that! Now, shut up! That guy called us from Leo's phone and that is a big problem! I need to think and I can't do it with you blowing up all over the damn place!"

I pushed his hands back and he let me. "Now, what?" He said, breathing hard, trying to calm himself down. I rubbed my forehead.

'Leo's tracker is still active. But the guy knows a lot about us. He knows more then he is letting on. He knew which number to call. He knew he had Mikey….He left that phone on purpose."

"Do ya think he knows about the tracker?" Raph asked me. I looked up at the rooftops, to see if we were being followed. So far no one, but I wasn't positive. I didn't like this whole situation. It was all to their advantage. "I hope not." I glanced back at the tracker screen. "Cause if he does. We are screwed."


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

I woke up with a bad headache.

I knew I had Mikey to thank for that, as well as the stiffness in my joints. I still was amazed that my baby brother had kicked my shell. Even if it had been a low move. Well, I was a little proud too. It was about time that Mikey got off his shell. I tried to open my eyes, but I was stunned to find myself in the dark once again. Really? Did they ever think about turning on the lights in the lab just once? Give a guy a stroke. I was beginning to wander…

Just then I heard a sound that cut through my thoughts. It was a cough. It was close.

"Raph?"

I went to reach only to find that I couldn't move. I felt something holding my arms in place…something connected to my wrists. I wiggled and found my feet were the same. My body seems to be strapped down. What the shell? They couldn't be this crazy. This was overacting now. I gave a big sigh. Trust Mikey to dramatize it all.

"Guys...This isn't cool..." I called out again. I strained against the leather straps, but they were secure, my arms pinned down at my sides. I couldn't even budge them. "Guys!"

I felt a sense of panic. I hated being tied up…I felt helpless. A feeling that I could not stand in the least. Why was it so quiet? Were they sleeping? The lab was sound proof…Take it easy, Leo. That was it…but what about the cough? It had sounded near by. My mind began flashing warning lights in my head. Something was wrong.

"Mikey!" I called out. No answer. There was nothing but that silence. Still I felt my skin prickle. Someone was standing by me. "Raph." I tried.

"No."

I inhaled sharply. It was a voice I didn't recognize. A man's voice. "You know. You truly are amazing." The voice went on, in an awe-struck tone. "When they told me, I honestly didn't believe them. A rare find." The voice had an accent that I could not quite place.

"Who are you!" I asked, trying to control my own voice. My heart rate was hitting the roof by now. Where was Mikey? I thought, frantically. What was going on?

"Me? Dear me, here." I felt tugging at my face and I instantly, jerked my head away from the touch. "It is okay…" The man insisted. "I am just going to take it off." He pulled slowly and I realized I had been blindfolded. I held still as he pulled the dark fabric away from my eyes.

I blinked, wincing in the sudden white light that scorched at my eyes. A face swayed into view. A thin man with heavy glasses that made his eyes look about ten times too big. He had no facial hair; in fact his gray hair on the top of his skull was balding. He stared at me, with a gleeful look. I sure as shell did not recognize him.

"Who are you?" I demanded, looking around the white room I was in. It was so bright that it hurt. There was nothing but pads on the walls, ceiling, and floor. Where the heck was I?

"Oh, yes. I am Doctor Frahm." He said, cracking a smile that went from ear to ear. "I work for Mister Phoenix. I am here in case of terminating purposes, in which case I will dispose of the evidence."

My head rang. Terminate? Dispose…Phoenix…evidence…"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, yes. I mean to say…basically…I am here in case you try to back out of your deal." He gave a nervous giggle after that.

That is when it all connected. Shell…this guy was off his rocker. He was talking about killing me. Like it was nothing…He poked me in the arm suddenly. "I will dissect you of course. Don't worry. I am a doctor. I know what I am doing."

"Doctor Frahm. That will do."

My head jerked up at the voice. A man with a scarred face stood the doorway…I noted where that was. Frahm gave a tiny whimper and backed away from me. I studied the man as he crossed the room to me, hands held behind his back. He had a calm air about him. As if everything was holding its breath for him to strut over.

"I am Phoenix and I believe you have met, Frost." My eyes narrowed at the white hair woman coming to stand at his side. She smirked at me. Yeah, how could I forget her? I had a new scar because of this..

"We are glad you have made it here. We were worried." Phoenix went on, his one eye, glittering.

"I thought we had a deal." I replied. "Didn't realize you were selling me to Doctor Frankenstein." I gestured at Frahm with my chin.

Frost gave a light laugh, like china tinkering. "Frahm is just a precaution. My apologies, if he has scared you. He is passionate. Now, we do have a deal to discuss."

"Where is my brother?" I snarled at her. I saw her jaw tighten, but she forced a pleasant smile at me. Phoenix stood at my feet, looking me over.

"He is safe. For the moment." He said, in light tone.

"Let him go."

Phoenix laughed and shook his head at me. "Really. My dear, Leonardo." I shuddered as he spoke my name. "If I were to let him go, then who would Doctor Frahm get to play with?"

He looked me dead in the eyes, the fake smile still plastered to his horrible face. My hands tighten. "No." I said to him softly.

"Of course, it can be avoided. If you just do as you're told." He went on. "We can talk business as gentleman. Come now."

I stared at him, willing myself to keep cool. I was going to get him back for this. I decided right then and there. This man who threaten two of brothers already. I took a deep breath. "It is hard to talk, while strapped down like an animal."

Frost raised an eyebrow at me and said in her deep accent. "You poor thing. You don't seem to know that is exactly what you are. You're nothing but a wild animal."

It was a low blow. "Maybe we have that in common." I said to her calmly.

Her eyes narrowed but Phoenix chuckle. "This is precisely why I need you. You are very intelligent. It is a shame, really." He waved a hand at my body.

Are you kidding me? Has this guy not looked in the mirror lately? He was the monster.

Phoenix straighten. "Now. Are you familiar with a certain agent that goes by the name of Bishop?"

My eyes must have widened, because Phoenix nodded and went on. "Bishop is creating a new weaponry formula that will make even a natural disaster look like child's play. It is something to behold. Bishop has always had wonderful toys, am I right? My records have shown you have fought often."

"Get to your point." I snapped. The line between his eyebrows creased. But he went on, calmly as before.

"We want you to steal this formula. Easy, yes? You do this and we leave your family be."

I gazed at him. So this was his plan. He wanted mass-terror at his fingertips. So this was what he wanted me for. I knew Bishop's hide out. But Bishop wasn't an easy guy to take on.

I should have listened to Mikey and went home. But, then again, Phoenix would have found me, eventually. I gave him a disgusted look. But, this guy was nuts if he thought I was going to hand even a crossword puzzle that spelled destruction. "Why so you can blow up everyone else?"

Phoenix frowned at me. "A bunch of strangers actually. It does not concern you. It is your family, you should be concern about. What are you so heartless that you will stand by and let them die for some no body?"

My eyes narrow. "You will not harm my family!"

"Then you _will _steal the formula." He said back, evenly.

I glared an intense hatred in my eyes. But I knew he had me. Mikey was at the hands of this maniac. I had to obey for now.

"Fine. We have a deal. But I want to see my brother." Phoenix nodded. "Yes, yes. Later. But for now, rest. We have a lot to cover and very little time."

Frahm approached me with a needle, grinning from ear to ear. No way! "Don't you dare..stop!" I said, trying to pull away, but he grabbed my wrist and I felt a prick and then darkness.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Hey. This one is short because as I have been working on the following chapter, I realized I needed a bit of a prologue to it. So I wrote this up real quick for now.

Laterz.

Raphael's POV

This Phoenix guy was the walking dead in my book. No body kidnaps my brothers. Who the fuck did he think he was? The whole situation was making me crazy! We had to friggin run out on them to save our own skins! _Like cowards_! A bunch of shit.

I felt like some sort of caged animal. It was like the bars were cracking and any second; something nasty was going to break loose. How the fuck was Donnie so fucking calm about this?

I glanced at Donnie, who was checking his tracker and muttering to himself under his breath. Probably some secret geek language. Who knew what the fuck he was saying half the time? I cracked my knuckles waiting, but my patience was running the hell thin.

I am pacing. I just can't stand still. I have to do something. ANYTHING!

Damn. My geek brother was pressing some buttons and squinting at his screen. Donnie was sure taking his sweet ass time! "You ready?" I snapped.

He didn't even look up at me. Just kept studying his screen. What the hell? Does he plan on pissing me off 24/7 now? I was just about to give him a piece of my mind, when his face broke out in a grin.

"Got it!" He looked up at me finally. "I know exactly where this is! Shell! This is the most obvious place!"

He took the lead, putting his tracker into his bag. I followed feeling a tad bit relieved, but still anxious as hell.

'So where is it? We gonna do this today or what?" I wanted to know. I had to know. I hate not knowing things, gives me a freakin headache. It is almost as bad as when Leo won't talk to me about something…wait that is not knowing too.

"It is the Foot's old hideout." Don said to me. "Come on. I should have guessed it."

"Then what we waiting for? Let's get the hell over there and break that joint open and tear the fuck out of their…"

"No. We are not rushing into this like last time, Raph. We have to stick together and have a plan." Don told me in a stern voice.

I felt my fingers starting to curl again. "We do not have time for this…_shit_!" I hissed. 'Who knows what the hell they are doing to them?"

"I'm worried too, Raph. But.."

"You sure got a fucked up way of showing it! One second you are all moody on my ass about Leo and the next you're fucking slow mod on saving him! Mikey is just a kid! He can't handle this kind of shit! You even thinking about him? We do not have time to fucking…we hafta …FUCK!" I let loose a scream of rage, falling to my knees. I was falling apart. I knew I was. I was freakin besides myself. Damn it all.

How could this just happen? Leo and Mikey. Just like that. Why couldn't people see that we were good guys? Fucking assholes.

I felt Don's hand on my shoulder. "Raphie."

I closed my eyes at the sound of his voice. He sounded scared. It wasn't his fault. I was losing it. I was going to get my family back together. He needed me to hold it together.

"Come on. You better think fast." I grumbled, brushing his hand off and getting back to my feet.

"Raph. You're right." Don's voice barely a whisper came out behind me. I turned back to him. He stood there, not even looking at me. Just staring at the ground, looking like he was having trouble finding the words to say. Fucking A.

"About how I acted earlier. I just…never wanted anything so bad…" He trailed off, looking ashamed. I sighed. Damnit. This fucking day was way the fuck too emotional for me. I eyeballed him and try to think of something sensitive that Leo would say to him. But nothing came to mind. Fuck it. I ain't Leo.

"Don. Don't even think about it. It's over. I ain't gonna tell anyone or crap. Ya should just learn to talk. Shit, you know English better than most of us. Why the fuck would you sit back and let that big brain of yours back you into a fucking corner? It's just fucking Leo." I told him in a rough tone.

I didn't need him going over the edge on me. I had already had my moment and now he had his. It was time to get the fuck over it and go the hell on.

I started, walking again and I heard him follow. He was quiet again. Good. This fucking pity ride wasn't a good time right now. I had some brothers to save. Don had a plan to think up.

As we neared the building, Don had his game face on. He studied the building for a moment. It was dark, busted up and gloomy as hell from our last fight with the Shredder. It still look the fuck abandon to me, but Don's little tracker thing was going crazy on it. So what do I know?

"Okay. I have a plan. The roof is straight shot. We need to nab someone and find out where they are holding Leo and Mikey. Oh, and I need to get to one of their security system computers." Don said, sharply.

"Excellent." I said, teeth bared. I was ready for this. My fingers twitched with anticipation. I was gonna bust some skulls for sure. "Let's go."


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Mikey's Pov

It was cold. I don't mean like an ice-bath or even a "caught-in-a-rainstorm" cold. It felt like the freakin "south-pole-meets-the-ice-age" cold. I woke up shivering, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. At first, I thought I was having a very life-like nightmare. I mean, Master Splinter always did say I had a very vivid imagination.

I was laid out on a hard, but slick surface. My breath came loud and shallow as I tried to get my bearings on where I was, but it was so dark. I couldn't even see my hand in front of me. I trembled, trying my best to recall how the heck I was in this mess in the first place. I drew a blank for a few minutes, and then it hit me like a mudslide to a tree. This was a not a dream at all. Not even close.

The fight, Leo, and the tranquilizer. It came back in the sharp pictures, fleeting in my mind. I had won and lost at the same time. And Leo? I had left him defenseless! This can't be happening! What had I done?

_Shell! I had to get help!_

I moved my arms, which burned as I did, fumbling in the dark for my shell cell, but I couldn't find it. Not good. I felt around the wall I was leaned up against, which was slick with ice. Where the hell was I? Geez, it was freezing!

Where was Leo? Was he in here too?

"Leo..." I called out, my voice sound hallow. I tried again. "Leo!"

Nothing. It was as quiet as the grave. Just a gentle humming sound…a familiar sound…like a refrigerator.

Oh, hell no.

I shuddered violently and got to my feet. I put my hands out in front of me walking slowly. Half afraid of what I might find in the dark and half afraid of becoming a turtlesicle, if I did not move! Each step sent a spear of pain through my thighs. The cold had set in my muscles to stay. My body was complaining about moving. But I took the pain as a good side. I wasn't dead either. Slowly I was limiting things now. Not a dream and not death.

I bumped into something. A vague smell that I could not quite place filled my nose as it brushed against my face. It was much colder then me.

I jumped back, startled, giving a muffled cry. As I did I knocked against another object. I heard the clicking of a chain and the object thudded against my shell once again as if on a swing. I shrunk back further, my heart pounding. I was locked inside with something…that was suspended from the ceiling…

Don't freak out! I told myself, but I was putting two and two together. Each inhale of the icy air, I took sent a burst of fiery pain down my throat. I could hear myself wheezing on the exhale. The only sound was my own frighten breathing. That humming noise!

_Come on, Mikey! Do not freak!_I told myself.

Who was I kidding? I was so far beyond that! My mind was reeling the hell all over the place! Oh shell…..this couldn't be real….

I wheezed as I found the wall again, following it. If my gut feeling was right, I would eventually be able to find my way out. I tried not to get squeamish when I bumped into other things that hung in my way.

_Stay calm. Stay calm! You can do this. It is no big deal! Don't think about it. Just move!_

My brain was racking up the hyper-meter as my frozen fingertips felt numbly against the slick walls until they found a crack. Finally. It was what I had been looking for. The door.

I pushed it open and to my relief it opened with a difficult pop. Light crept over my face and I forced myself to look back over my shoulder into the room. My stomach did a flip. I had been correct. I had woke up in a freakin meat locker! I put my hand to my mouth.

Blowing chucks right now was a not a good option, but my stomach was doing complete 360s! My brain was wigging out in the mean time.

Holy shell.

I almost gagged at the sight of the large slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling. But I did not see my brother. Which was good in a nasty kind of way. He wasn't a slab of hanging meat, but I still had no clue where he was. I stepped out and welcomed a wave of heat as it hit me.

I stared at the door as I pushed it close, letting my body thaw out. Someone had tried to kill me. It was most likely Frost. But still it was kind of a sucky way to do it. They didn't lock the door, tie me up or anything. That was a bit retarded. I mean, how dumb can you get? A freezer? They would have to be quicker than that if they wanted to defeat the battle Nexus Champion! Maybe she was sticking to her name theme or something. Freezer equals Frost?

I gave my head a shake. Let's not think about that.

I turned and gave a high pitched scream, when I saw a large group of ninjas standing there. They didn't rush my though. Just stood there. Waiting

"Aw, man."

I moaned. "You guys again?" My fingers, still shaking from the cold, reached down clawing at my belt, vainly. My nunchucks were gone! I looked down. Yep. Gone.

I looked back up. "Perfect."

"I concur. You got out of there in record time. Most just panic and end up freezing to death! Well done, indeed!"

My eyes narrowed on a man, who came through the crowd. He had large bottle-cap glasses. I certainly didn't recognize him, but "nerd" came to mind.

"Who the shell are you?"

He just smiled back. "Well, guess we will have to move to theory B."

"Theory B?" I asked, looking around at the ninjas. "Why the heck did Frost put me in a meat locker! That is just nasty!"

"I put you in there."

I stared the dweeby-looking man. "You?"

The man chuckled. "You know, they all thought it was bad luck when they accidentally hit you. But me, I like to look at things "half full." I knew right away you would be perfect for my tests."

"Tests?" I glanced back at the meat locker. That had been some sort of sick _Test_? I stared at the guy. "For what?"

"Why for endurance and such." The man said, mildly.

"Is Leonardo doing tests too?" I hardly dared to ask the question, but I needed to know.

A dark shadow passed over the man's face, his eyes, glittering. His face pulled into a scowl. "They won't let me have him."

I licked my lips. "Who won't?"

The man waved a hand at me, "Oh, Phoenix. But he will see things my way soon enough. There is only so much you can do with an animal. Even one as intelligent as that one."

My heart sank. So they did grab him. My poor Leo…that twisted…

"It doesn't matter." The mad scientist went on. He grinned at me. "I have you. I can run my tests on you as long as I don't kill you on purpose. That is, Phoenix would get mad if I did it on purpose."

My breathing cut short. _**kill you on purpose! **_The words were reverberating in the back of my mind.

"Wha…But I thought you weren't going to kill me if Leo…"

The scientist busted out into loud laughter. "Even you? What amateurs!" He looked back at me, his eyes hungry. "Don't you get it? They always believe that."

"What?" My voice came out small. I had figured this guy to be another version of Donnie. But this guy was proving to be an A-class lunatic!

My eyes skimmed over to the ninjas, they looked not the least bit unsettled by the extremely creepy guy next to them. They stood almost robotic with their weapons drawn. I wasn't sure I could take them all. I still felt drowsy from the tranquilizer. In fact, I was feeling down-right exhausted, even standing was taking effort.

The man leered back at me.

"They always believe that I will not actually kill them. They accept me to hurt them, but they think if they just play along that I will let them go. Always. Even when they first start to die….they are in shock. It's in the eyes. They realize it too late. I'm surprised. I figured that you being not human…you would see that. What a shame. I had hoped for a challenge"

I was flabbergasted. The guy had just pretty much admitted to mass murder and on top of that was disappointed that I was more humane then him. My spine tingled in fear.

"You're crazy."

The man shrugged. "You're theory."

Okay. The deal was signed. The dude was freaking me out now. I looked at the ninjas. "You guys are seriously listening to this dude? He is completely off his rocker!"

"Do not bother. I am in charge of your well being. They will not answer." The man insisted sounding a bit annoyed. This guy was in charge of my health?

I was dead already.

I felt panic surge up my throat. 'Where is my brother?"

"You do not need to.."

"WHERE IS MY BROTHER?" I shouted, my voice echoing with a hint of hysteria in it. I was loosing it now. If this guy was bad, who knew what Frost and Phoenix where doing to him.

He frowned back at me. "It does not matter. My tests are more important."

"The tests? You just said you were pretty much just trying to kill me…."I began, but the man shrugged. "Yes. But I will then know what your limits are. It would be very valuable for when I fry the bigger fish."

My hands clenched. I was done talking to this nut cake. "Stay away from me!"

He raised a gun. "Then just survive as long as you can. It will help me and the rest of the world out a great deal." He fired.

I felt the dart biting into my skin as bolted at him, my vision swayed and I fell sideways.

_NO!_

I felt my body going limp as the man sighed. "Such a shame."

Then I was drifting again.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

You know things have been getting steadily worse. I feel like I haven't slept right in ages. My brain just doesn't shut up. Even when I do sleep all I think about is what can go wrong. And as I am standing there, staring up at Shredder's old headquarters, my brain was going into hyper-mod.

I had pretty much figured that this could be a trap or we could find something bad…like one of them hurt. Heck, if Shredder, himself popped up from the grave, it would have fit into one of my thoughts. Things were so crazy, that nothing could surprise me.

I glanced at Raph. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw was set. There was no turning back with him. He would take it as it happened. The hard head.

Me? I was scared.

Failure was not an option, though. I had done research on this Phoenix, but came up with zip on him. It was like he had been a ghost. No records. Nothing. Who was he really? Why the hell did he sudden come out of from God know's what rock and start haunting the heck out of us? Why was he was out to get MY brother? Really? For some reason, I get the feeling that there is even more than Leo just stealing something from him.

Things were just not adding up. This guy knew way too much. It was really freaking me out. I hadn't bothered unveiling this to Raph. He wouldn't give a hoot as long as we got Leo and Mikey back.

We climbed the fire ladder of the building next door in silence. I kept glancing at the building, trying to think of any holes that might be in my plan. That's what I always do. I want to be prepared for everything. I didn't make things on the fly like Leo. In fact, I could not understand how Leo could do it. He would just shout out orders and heck, we would do it. The whole thing was so risky and not all the variables were taken into consideration. But some how, that style of thinking worked for our leader.

Leo. Gah. It hurt to even think about him. I have been so stupid. I couldn't believe how I had been acting lately. Guess I really was loosing it. And Leo...he had been so distant before he left...I had to change this. I had to fix it. Leo was going to know how I felt about him if it was the last thing I ever do!

We reached the top, hoisting ourselves over the ledge and on to the rooftop. I knelt down and began rummaging in my trusty pack as Raph stared, hardcore at the building. He was leaning on the ledge like he was considering just jumping. It was a little bit unnerving.

"Don't even think about it." I told him as I located the item I needed.

Raph snorted and cracked his neck, casually. I grimaced. That can't be good for your body!

"Better hurry, Braincase." He said gruffly. "I got heads waiting to be bashed in."

I sighed, pulling out a large black object from my bag. It sort of look like a giant gun. That caught Raph's attention.

"What the fuck is that?"

"You know. Leo is going to cream you alive when he gets back and hears about all your cussing adventures." I muttered, examining the structure. "And this, Raph, is for our Tyrolean Traverse, by my own design, of course."

Raph snarled at me. "Ya ever think that maybe you're the _reason_ I cuss? You got even speak fucking English!"

I frowned at him. "Okay, in essence, think _big_ zipline." I pointed the object and fired. The line anchored into the Saki's building and the wall besides us. Direct hit. I couldn't help but smile. Step 1 was done. Onward to Step 2.

"Shit!" Raph jumped, for the line was secured just above his head. . "I didn't think that crap worked. Only in the movies."

"Oh, please. People use this way to travel quite a bit, Especially in Bulgaria." I remarked, putting my shoulder strap over my head and I leapt up on to the line. "They use harnesses, but I figured tight line walking would work too."

'Amazing." Raph muttered. I rolled my eyes. Sometimes I wondered if I was related to this guy. It didn't seem possible.

I felt Raph pull himself up behind me and we began. It was a good thing I wasn't afraid of heights. A fall off of this and it was over. But the line held like I had planned. Everything was working out just fine.

We landed on the garden rooftop and took in the scene. It was a mess. Just like we had left it. I glanced around. Nothing.

"Come on." I told Raph, pulling out my tracker. "Keep a sharp eye. There should be some sentries or something."

Raph gave a dark as hell smile. "Bring it on."


	34. Chapter 34

This chapter took foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I re-wrote the darn thing about ten different ways…until..I got this…XD

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Leonardo's POV

I felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my skull. No lie. My head was throbbing like something fierce and the lights appeared to be flickering in front of my eyes. Apparently, drugs may not be very good for you.

I was lying on my side on something that was pretty soft this time. I noticed swiftly that I was not strapped down either. It was it a bit weird. The room was dimly lit to begin with, which was a blessing for my eyes. From what I could see with my limited line of vision was there was a table not too far from my right. I raised my head a tad to get a better look.

Okay, it was a table and it was set for two. Wow, drugs must be _really _messing up my head. I sat up, tenderly, trying not to black out. Everything wobbled and then shifted into focus. I gave a soft moan of relief when it did.

I took in my surroundings, dully. Slowly, I could feel panic edging back into my mind, but the slow fading effect of the drug numb it. There was someone I was worried about…yes…Mikey…Raph..Don… I knew I should be freaking out, but it only managed to mildly scare me that they were still missing. Not good.

The room looked equivalent to a hotel room. There was a couch, coffee table, t.v. and maybe, a bathroom to the left. I sat there puzzled. _What the shell?_ Wasn't I last in some lab with that guy? What had been his name? Phoenix. Frost….It was slowly leaking in. Fear.

_Now, where the shell was I? _

The door beyond the table, that I had barely noticed, suddenly swung open. I tensed as Phoenix, himself, stepped in. He looked me over as he shut the door, his horribly scarred face, lighting up. I am pretty sure Mikey would have said, "EW!".

"Awake at last. I was being to think you might be in a coma."

I stared back at him, trying to comprehend. He waltzed across the room to the table, as if this was any ordinary day. Like kidnapping and blackmailing others was his daily routine. He had no honor. I thought about what Mikey had said about their honor. He had been right.

"Hmmm. Sushi. My favorite." He said, smiling and his sitting down at the table. He helped himself to some dainty portions before glancing at me.

I must have looked utterly confused. Heck, some of Donnie's speech on physics were easier to understand then what was happening right now. I felt a pressure in my throat. Rage. I was getting my emotions back. Red hot.

"Won't you join me, Leonardo?" He asked, lightly as he poured himself some champagne in a slender glass.

I opened my mouth and for a second nothing came out, "what's going on?" My voice sounded a little rough. I tossed that up to the fact that my throat was dry. It even hurt some to talk, but I couldn't careless. I wasn't the concern here. My brothers were.

Phoenix swirled the liquid in his glass with a thin finger. "Forgive me. I realized that while Frost may feel that you are a spiteful animal, I tend to treat my employees a little better. It is said most will work better with good conditions. Am I right?"

An alarm went off in my head_. Work? Don't be fooled. He is using you. He is trying to get you to obey. He is trying to bribe you. _

My eyes narrowed at him as I sat, rooted to the spot. "My brother.' I said it in a venomous tone.

"Oh, Mikey? That is what you call him? He's in good hands. Now come here. You must eat and rest. You have to gather your strength. I can't have you half starved. We will arrive at Bishop's in a day. All the plans are being put into order at this very moment."

Plans of mass destruction. I thought, bitterly. But it did not matter.

"I want my brother."

This guy was unbelievable. It was absolute nuts for him to think that I would do what ever the shell he wanted. I wasn't going to play his little game. I wasn't going to sit around having dinner with a man who held my brother's life by a thread and dangled it in front of me.

He was just doing this to make his own conscience feel better. Well tough. I wasn't going to help him sleep at night.

Phoenix gave a disapproving look, his lips purse together. "Don't be difficult, Leonardo."

I wish as hell that he would stop saying my name too. He acted like he was my friend. It made me feel like gagging. Nobody hurt my family and got away with it. Nobody.

"Hey, I'm doing you a favor. You could still be in that padded room or better yet with Doctor Frahm."

My blood boiled. _A FAVOR! Are you kidding me? _My hands tighten into balls.

"I'm not afraid of your doctor or that room." I hissed at him. Honestly, who did this guy think he was? He didn't even know what real pain was.

"So don't even **TRY** to threaten me."

Phoenix's eyes flashed and then he smiled in an almost sheepish way, setting his glass on the table top. "Now, calm down. You should be better mannered. Yes? I have brought you food. You should treat your host better. "

That did it. I stood to my full height. "If you do not give me my brother now. I will make certain that you regret ever a mere thought of this deal!" I told him quietly.

Phoenix sighed and wiped his mouth with a corner from his napkin. He folded it up into quarters and then laid it beside his plate before rising.

"I really did not want to do this." I stiffen as he reached into his shirt bringing out a cell phone. I eyed it quietly, neither of us moving.

"You may call your brother. The smart one. He and the other one are currently searching for you. You will tell them you are fine and to stop. After that, this phone will self-destruct. I then will bring your little brother to you. Right here."

I peered at the phone and sucked in air. "How do you…"

"Don't be dull, Leonardo. I know all about the trackers. In fact they are following yours as we speak."

My heart plunged into the depths of my stomach. He knew! That meant that he took Mikey's then too! We would be cut off complete from Don and Raph. They would not be able to find us. To find Mikey!

I shook my head, trying to keep the frantic feeling in check that rose in my throat. I couldn't let Mikey stay locked up here. I had to get him out of here. I had to make sure they were all safe!

"I want you to let Mikey go."

Phoenix arched an eyebrow at me. The good one. "You know I can't do that."

"Please…I'll do anything…" I said, desperately. I knew my own fate was sealed but I could not let that happen to my kid brother. Not ever. I had made so mistakes in this. Mikey could not be the one who was to pay for it!

Phoenix chuckled, his face becoming twisted. "You'll do anything now."

I gritted my teeth. "No. I will not work for you. This is not part of the deal."

"Oh, deals change to meet needs. I'm not arguing with any more, turtle. You will do as you're told or I'll have your brother brought up in pieces!"

I took a step towards him. Phoenix's good eye widens and the next thing I knew I felt a surge of pain dart through me. I gave a surprised gasp, falling to my knees. A sharp pain ran its course through out my whole body. For a second, I couldn't even breathe and then it was over.

_What the hell was that? _My mind was crying out as I greedy inhaled the air again, my forearms shaking to hold myself up on all fours.

Phoenix squatted down next to me. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? I know everything about you. I know what you are capable of. I'm not the Shredder. I will not let you slip away. You will obey. It is very simple. Do you understand?"

I panted, staring down at the floor. "W-what did you do to me?"

Phoenix smirked. "There is a reason that I wear the Lightning bolt crest. You have one hour to make your call."

He rose, heading over to the table. He picked up the glass of champagne and drained it, his eyes never leaving me. "Relax. You will like to work for me. You will be able to reach your fill potential here."

He set the glass down and started for the door, pausing at it. "Oh and by the way, left a present for you on the coffee table." He left softly, his footsteps muffled by the carpet as he shut the door and locked it once again.

I closed my eyes, resting my forehead on the carpet. _What is wrong with me….how did he do that….if felt like I had been on fire! Had he electrocuted me? _I couldn't stop thinking. It was all I could do not to just let out sobs.

Suddenly an image of my sensi flashed through my mind. Oh God, if he could see me now. I winced at the mere thought of what he would say. "Get up, Leonardo. Fight!"

My eyes snapped open at once. I could almost hear him, yelling at me. The way he did when we spar. He would never let me quit. He would never let me cry when my brothers were there. A leader had to be strong. A leader had to be cool-minded. A leader had to see the bigger picture.

Had my father taught me nothing? Was I really going to break down right here? Did my family not need me? Was I really just going to sit here with my face in this nasty carpet and _**CRY?**_

_No. _

I wasn't going to do that. Not here. Not now. NOT EVER! Phoenix was not going to control me anymore then he already was. I had faced all this hell to keep my family together and it was not going to end here!

I feebly got to my feet, my knees almost buckling as I hobbled over to the couch, gripping the back for support.

I spotted a dvd on the coffee table with a note attached to it.

Play me. 

I swallowed, shuddering. My muscles were twitching all over the place.

Get it together, Leo. I reminded myself.

Determinedly, I snatched the dvd from the table and put it into the player. I picked up the remote and hit play.

An image flickered onto the screen. One that stole my breath away.


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's POV

It was silent and as nasty as I remembered. Old Shredder's fort. Ha. A lot of good it did for him. As we walked softly through the upper rooms, I could almost see the ghosts of us fighting here back in the day. A lot of memories at this place. Never thought I'd be back here though.

I could remember how angry I had gotten here with Leo. He at first thought Shredder was a "good guy." Nearly got us all killed. I snorted. Leo. He liked to think the best of everyone at first, but the guy was seriously thick.

This place was like a twisted magnet. When things went down the drain, we always ended back here.

How fucked up is that? It made me feel as caged as hell. It was like there was nothing I could do. Why the fuck did all this stuff keep happening?

We almost died here countless times. It had been so hard to take Shredder the hell down. Nasty mother fucker, he was. A lot of destiny shit with Old Shred-head.

Go figure. Maybe Splinter knew what he was talking about. God, he didn't even know what was going on now. What would he say?

We tangled with a lot of crap over the years. Stuff that still made even _me_ cringe at the memory. Who would have thought that some fucked-up scarred face whack bag would be the _real_ Problem?

Donnie was walking at my side, his tracker was annoyingly beeping. Damn thing was as bad as Mikey.

My fists clenched. Mikey. Leo. I was going to get them back. Then I was going to beat the living shit outta Phoenix for touching my brothers. Then I was going to beat the snot out of Leo for going to meet these asses_. (And maybe a little something else)._

As for Mikey? He always needed a good smack.

I was ready for this fight, but the building was looking as abandon as hell. It almost looked like nothing had been disturbed since our last fight here. It was depressing. There was dust, debris and..fucking nasty spider webs.

Ah, shit. Spiders!

I stopped cold for a second doing a scan of the floor and my immediate body. Say what you will, but spiders and other bugs…the world can do with out them in my book.

I looked up to see Don studying me. He looked mildly put out as his eyes dipped from me to the spider's web and back again.

He opened his mouth, but I cut his big brain to the chase. "Don't even fucking say it, Donnie." I warned him, fist up to his face.

He gave me a critical look over my fist. I could see him weighing the odds and deciding to risk it.

"They are just insects, Raph. I mean, you have faced aliens, ninjas, heck, even dinosaurs, and you never even hesitate."

Dim-wad had a point.

But to hell with it.

I grabbed him by the strap of his bag pulling my genius brother up close and personal.

"Didn't I just say not a word! Are ya deaf, Brain boy?"

A dark look past over his royal-geeky face, but then it left.

"I'm sorry?" He muttered at me.

It seem like the crankier "Don" that I fought in the tunnels was a bit vacant currently. I had our normal calm "Don" in my grip. Of all the times for him to be a doormat. A fight right now, would have been a good one. I was just itching for one. Where's Leo when ya need him?

Dammit. I let him go. He wasn't much of a fight to begin with.

But he got me thinking. Why'd it have to be bugs? I shuddered. Naw, I didn't want to even think about it.

"Let's just find Leo and Mikey and get the fuck…"

Just then a hallow noise reached both our ears at the same time. We both straighten at the mere sound of a ringing phone. I had both fists up. "What the hell…"

We both looked around then down. It was coming from Don's bag. Don's eyes shot back to me as he went rummaging in his bag.

"Ya got way too much shit in there. It's like a fucking lady's purse." I muttered as he pulled out tons of other gadgets.

"Shut up." He replied. I smirked, he kept this up and he was going to get a fist in the nose.

"Hello." He said as he slipped the phone open. I heard the voice. Even from where I was standing. I knew it any where. A voice that I wanted to say my name.

"Leo!" Don began, but it was too late. I was on my fucking way and the next thing Don knew was he was sitting on his ass and I had the phone.

He stared, looking between startled and pissed as hell. Okay, maybe I shouldn't have pushed him, but his guard sucks, so I am sure it was his fault. Not that I would give a flying pig's ass to begin with. All that matter was that I had the phone. I had Leo.

I put it to my ear. My heart rate shooting through the roof . I was going to give that smug Splinter Junior a piece of my mind.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?"

I screamed into the receiver. Don's eyes expanded into the size of quarters, mouth open.

I heard Leo's breathing hitch on the other line. Let's not get distracted here.

"Raph? Where did…"

"ANSWER ME, LEO! DAMMIT!"

"Raph! You do not have time.."

"WE HAVE BEEN EVERY WHERE, YOU PRICK!" I wasn't even listening. I was pissed. Leo had a phone. What the fuck? He could have called us at any time. My blood was boiling dangerously high.

"Raph!" Leo's voice was unnaturally shrill.

"Give me the phone. Stop Screaming." Don was back on his feet trying to take the phone from me. I shoved him back again. He went back a few steps, his eyes flashing.

"WHERE IS MIKEY! IS HE WITH YOU?" I demanded, giving Don the finger as he tried to come at me again. He let out a growl.

"Raph! Stop it!" Don was jumping, trying to grab at the phone, but I had height on my side. He began throwing punches. Sissy ones, mind ya.

"Give. Me. The. Phone!"

"No!" I snarled at him.

"**RAPHAEL! THERE IS A BOMB, YOU IDIOT**!"

Leonardo suddenly screeched into my ear. I stopped, in mid-block from Don, who also froze, hearing Leo's words. _What the shit?_

"YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE! NOW!" Leonardo was yelling. He sounded down right hysterical. I was stunned. I listened to him inhale. The phone was glue to the side of my face, but I couldn't even respond.

"Raph! Are you listening? Run! Damn it! RUN!"

Don and I locked eyes. Shit.

We both tore out of the room, not even daring to look back. I pumped my arms, hand still clenching the phone as we ran_. _I wasn't even thinking, I was just moving.

We dashed up to the stairs, sliding on the dust.

"Get out of there!" Leo was still shouting on the phone, when we came to the roof. We reached the line, just as the building gave a terrifying jolt.

Fuck….


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Mikey's Pov

I was awake. But I wished that I wasn't. I laid on the floor. I didn't know where I was. I wasn't really sure if I cared. I just hurt.

I closed my eyes and tried to picture it all away. Block it out. I was never really good at that kind of stuff. I wanted my family. I wanted my brothers. I wanted Leo.

A sob escaped my cracked lips as I thought of my leader. Leo would save me. I knew he would. But was he okay? Was he hurt like me?

My thoughts flickered back to an old memory. Back when we all had been kids. Back when I didn't understand my own feelings, let alone my own family.

Back then, I had been drawn to Leo. He was just so different from my other brothers. He could do anything. I wanted to be just like him. I admired him with out a doubt, but there was something else. There was always some thing different.

One night, Leo had been sick. Very sick. As in Splinter acted like he might die. The lair itself seem to be holding it's breath with us. I was scared. No lie. I figured that it was over.

Raph and Don were quiet. We all were. We were waiting. For the worse. Late at night, after Splinter and the others had fallen asleep. I crept to Leo's room. Splinter was asleep on the floor, but the poor guy was so exhausted that he didn't even stir as I tiptoed by.

Leo's face was red. He looked more red then green, in fact. He's breathing was ragged and his sheets were damp with sweat. I almost cried on the spot when I saw him. It was so awful! How could he be this bad?

But his eyes were open, slits in the thin light of the candle by his bed. They looked glassy as if he was far away, but as I came into his line of sight, they focus on me. He shifted ever so slightly.

"M-mikey…" He whispered, hoarsely.

I smiled at him, sadly. "Hey, Leo."

He breathed, coughing, eyes on me. "Y-ou. Shouldn't be in h-here."

"I was worried about you." I told him, pulling myself up to sit on the bed. He stared at me, eyes unblinking. He looked so tired. For a second, I thought he was dead and then I saw his chest rise and fall. I let out a woosh of air. I took his hand in mine, he was cold. A frightening thought leapt into my mind.

What if Leo were to die? What would happen to us? The thought chilled me to the bone and my hand tightens on his of it's own accord. What would I do without Leo?

"H-ey." My eyes looked back up into his face. He smiled at me. It was small, but very gentle one. I had never seen him smile like that before.

"It's okay."

I was puzzled. How did he know what I was thinking? Could Leo read minds? Did I need to add that to his list of gifts? The smile however is what drew my real attention. It was so pure. There wasn't anything fake about. He wasn't annoyed that I was in here, bothering him when he was trying to sleep. I looked into his eyes and I saw the worry.

That's when it hit me. Here, he was sick as a dog. Yet, Leo was more concern about me. He didn't want me afraid. He was trying to help me…even now.

"Leo." I said, softly. "Are you ever scared?"

A serious expression planted itself on my brother's face. "Some times. Like when Don and Raph got lost…."

"You didn't act like it. You found them before Splinter could," I pointed out. Heck, Leo was taking charge even then.

Leo coughed a little. I waited. "Yeah. But I was afraid that they were hurt. I don't know what I would do with out, you guys. Master Splinter says that family is a true treasure. One, you have to protect."

Treasure…..I nodded back, trying remember sensi saying that, but gave up. I never really listened to Splinter during his talks. They were soooooo boring.

"You talk like it's your job."

Leo smiled at me. "Kind of. Splinter says that when I get well, he is going to train me for new things."

"What kind of things?" I wanted to know. Leo shook his head. "More responsibility. That's it."

I gazed at him. More? Leo never played with us almost as it was. What more was there? It felt like he was disappearing. All he did was work. I laid down next to him and he made of noise of protest.

"Leo, promise. That no matter what, that you will always be there for me." I begged. For some reason, I knew that I had to keep Leo with me. I knew that things were changing. I didn't know how, but my gut told me.

Leo's face showed shock under his fevered skin. "Mikey.."

"Promise! No matter what!" I insisted. He blinked back at me.

"I promise."

"No matter what?" I asked.

"No matter what." He recited.

I smiled, snuggling up to him. "You're going to catch my cold." He muttered into my ear, but I ignored him, pretending to sleep, my arms wrapped around his cold body.

He soon fell asleep, his light breathing on my neck. It was right then and there that I decided that I loved Leo. He was special. It just felt right. I just knew that I could not be with out him.

I shifted on the floor, ignoring my present state. The pain was back. I winced as I tried to draw my knees to my chest. That memory. It felt like it had been just yesterday. It had been a good memory. One I never forgot. I could have laid with Leo like that forever. I opened my eyes and the darkness came at me in a blur. I coughed and felt blood on my lips. There tests…How much more could I take? I sighed, shivering.

If only Leo knew how special he is to me.

How that that special feeling hadn't changed in all these years. It just grew. Now I was head over heels for the guy. Even with Don and Raph in the running. I smiled. I would survive this. I would tell Leo.

"No matter what.." I whispered into the darkness around me. "No matter what."


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

Okay, Let me be point-blank here. Are. You. Kidding. Me? Of all the things I was expecting, a bomb and Leo calling me? Yeah, that was not one of them. Raph and I had barely reached the line when the whole building started shifted and buckling under our feet. I had just grabbed Raph's arm, reaching for the line, when we were lifted straight into the air. The building literally exploding. I felt heat rushing around me. The sound drowning out everything.

I think I screamed, I'm not really sure. It was happening too fast. I remember seeing the line again in my sight, sagging, giving. I strained, taking hold of it as we fell. The line went with us. I didn't even have to time to think "Oh shell!"

Then, wham! We banged into the building, swinging into a window. It didn't have a change as it shattered us, sailing through it. Glass flew every where as Raph and I skittered on the floor on our backs.

We both laid there, gasping in the darkness. Neither of us moving. So far, no lights turned on or any ungodly screaming was taking place, so I assumed that the owners of the apartment were not home. Perfect, a bit of luck in this forsaken day. I groaned and slowly sat up, careful of the glass, looking out the window behind me.

It was a firework display. Saki's building was done for. There was brick and wood flying in the air. I stared, remotely freaking out. What if Leo and Mikey had been in there? Had we just left them there to d-

"DON! RAPH!"

I blinked. "Leo?" Then I recalled the phone. I leaned over Raph who still was in a bit of a daze, but otherwise unharmed, peeling his fingers from the phone. I was amazed that it was still on. Raph had almost crushed the crap out of it. Gah.

"Leo."

"Donnie. Shell." Leo breathed back at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I answered as Raph stirred. "Ah, fuck…" He moaned from his backside. I rolled my eyes. Raph could turn a phrase. 

"Leo…Are you okay?" I asked him, seriously. There was a pause. "Yes. Don.. I don't know how much time I have. I have a plan. I'm going to get Mikey out of here."

"What about you?" I asked, listening carefully. I didn't want to miss a thing. It was so good to hear his voice.

"Where are you?"

"I'm not sure. They drugged me. I don't know." He was silent for a second. "Don…You'll take care of them? Raph and Mike, right?" Leo's voice was quiet. My heart about jumped through my chest. Me? Take care of them!

"Leo.. What's going on?" I knew I sounded panicky. And I was pretty sure I was having an ulcer. What the shell did he mean by that? Take care of them! Where was he going?

"Leo!" I hear his oh-too-soft breathing. It was smooth, calculating. The rhythm never changing. He was in control of it. He was in control of everything.

"You need to stop looking for me after this Donnie. They will kill you. You have to stop."

"No!" I snapped into the phone. "I will never stop." How could he even ask me that? Was he crazy?

"Don, please…" Leo's voice broke. "You can't all die because of me. If you come now, I do not know if I will ever be able to get Mikey out safely."

I looked at Raph. He was peering back up at me. He was hanging on my every word. He looked unnerved.

"Please." Leo whispered. "You have to promise this." Raph's eyes widen. We were both scared now. Leo sounded so..broken…

"Leo…I…" I trailed off. My eyes burned. Tears. Raph sat up, fast. "Tell him to shut up. We are going to find them."

"Please." Leo repeated. "You can't."

"Tell him!" Raph's voice was growing, louder. He gripped my shoulders. "Donnie! Tell him!"

"What will you do?" I cried, my voice hardly louder than a gasp. "What will you do?"

"My responsibility." Leo answered without hesitation. Then the phone went dead.

The phone slipped through my fingers, Raph snatched it out of the air before it hit the ground as I cried. Loud sobs yanked from my throat as I covered my hands with my face. _No!_

"Leo!" Raph was yelling, but it was no use. He was gone. My God, I was losing him. I had lost him. I didn't know what he was going to do, but I knew Leo. He was serious. He was going to make sure these people never bothered us again. He was going to let himself be consumed and torn apart by revenge.

_No! _This was not what I wanted. I wanted him. I wanted all of us. Back in the lair. Together. Fighting. Messing around. Laughing.

"Pull yourself together." Raph was shaking me. I bit my lower lip, trying to quiet my cries as his golden eyes, glared at me. He gave me one last shake. "Stop it." His voice was low now, his eyes dropping from my gaze.

"Come on." He stood. I hiccupped, wiping my eyes. "W-where?"

"To the lair." He pulled me to my feet, a firm grip on my wrist, tugging me along.

"What, but Leo…"

"We're gonna have to trust him for the mean time." Raph said, darkly. "We can't mess up his plan to free Mikey. Hell, we don't even know where they are." He grinded his teeth together as he said it. Typical. Hot-head couldn't stand the thought of it, but he knew he had to stay put.

"But, Raph-"

"I ain't giving up, Don." Raph replied, evenly. "I plan on ripping this whole town apart, but I know Fearless. And you need to get that big head of yours on to making a plan of our own. Cause when we get Mikey, I am going after Leo."

"But..Leo said.."

"I didn't make any promises." Raph shrugged. "Did you?"

I sniffed. "No."

"There ya go. Now, stop bawling. I hate cry-babies."

I shot him a look, pulling my arm free. He gave me a nod as we moved outside, staying in the shadows. In the distance, there were alarms of fire trucks heading our way. We kept moving. As we headed down the alley way to the sewers, I noticed that Raph still held tight to the phone. Raph in all his toughness, holding on to that shell cell like it was our last link to our brother.

I swallowed letting him lead the way. He was right. I had to keep it together. I had a brother to save. I had a plan to make. We couldn't just give up now. It did not matter what Leo said. We would not abandon him.

This time. I thought. This time, Leo. We are saving you.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…but oh god…the things they would do if I did…..XD

Leonardo's POV

The phone lay forgotten on the floor. It was still smoking from when it had self-destructed. Just like Phoenix had said. Bits of plastic scattered around it. Wires sizzling in the dim light. Then, this was it. I was alone now. They were gone. They were safe.

I sat down heavily on the floor, my legs just plain giving out. I felt like I had just ran a marathon. But, my brothers made it out. A smile crept over my face. They were okay.

I looked back at the screen of the t.v. where I had seen a step by step introduction of the building of the bomb, followed by the planting of it in the Foot headquarters and finally, an image of my brothers entering from a security camera on the roof. Once I had seen that. It had been a no brainer.

Never had I dialed a number so fast in my entire life. Heck, I might have been even faster then Mikey when he was ordering pizza. And he had them on speed dial. I closed my eyes, concentrating on slowly down my pounding heart rate.

_They are safe. _

What was next?

Mikey. Now I had to get Mikey away from this mad house. I didn't have the slightest clue to where he was, but I knew that I could make them give him up. My hands clenched. My plan already taking shape in my mind.

Phoenix was going to pay…with_ interest_!

I could only hope that Don would listen to me. I didn't count on Raph to, but Don would understand. Wouldn't he?

It was hard to figure Don out. He was pretty reclusive despite everything. Don was just better with computers. He would talk with April and Casey, but when it was all over, Don was happier in his lab. I frowned. Quiet frankly, maybe I should coax him out a little more. When this was over….if I survived that is. I would….

I jumped to my feet as the door, opened abruptly. I hadn't even heard them coming. What the shell was wrong with me? I needed to stay more alert! I scowled as Phoenix stepped in and smiled.

"All finished?" His nasty grinning face. He had meant to destroy my brothers, if I hadn't done what he asked. I gave him a low growl as my answer. I watched as his eyebrow rose, just so.

"Come now. You did what you were told to do. I am very impressed. Even if we had to hold your hand ever bit of the way. Whatever gets the job done, yes?"

"What do you want now?"

Phoenix glanced behind him. "To give you your reward."

My eyes narrowed, dumbfounded. "If you're here to play games with me, I'm not in the mood."

Phoenix's grinned, widen and he stepped back, revealing what was behind him.

"Michaelanglo!" My poor baby brother was shoved in, hard. He skidded forward, falling on to his side, with a sicken thud. I was by him in an instant.

"You have one hour to say goodbye." Phoenix said, closing the door. I hardly took heed. I was too preoccupied with my brother.

Mikey laid curled on the floor, his eyes tightly shut. I pour over him, he was covered in bruises. His flesh was torn in several places, like a whip had been used. His lower lip was swollen and bleeding.

"Mikey, oh shell." I pulled his head up into my lab, leaning over him. A trail of blood formed from where he once was. He cupped his face, tenderly. One of his blue eyes, fluttered open. The other was caked with too much blood to budge.

"Leo…" He croaked at me. He reached up at me with one hand, trembling towards my jaw. I grasped his hand. "It's okay." I whispered to him. "It's okay."

"I thought I was dreaming." Mikey said to me, his own eyes welling up. "Leo…I'm so sorry…if I hadn't…"

"No.."I shushed him. "It's okay. It is not your fault. It was and never will be your fault, Mikey. Please, do not even think that way."

Tears streamed, slowly from the corner of his eyes. Falling on either side of his head, wetting my knees. I smiled, trying to show him that everything was fine, but inside I shook with rage. How could they do this to him? They were trying to scare me with my own brother!

"Leo…please…" He moaned, grimacing in pain. He pulled his hand free from mine and gripped one of the tails of my bandana, pulling me closer.

My eyes widen at the sight of pain on his face. "Mikey, don't move. You're hurt pretty bad.. …Let me.."

"No." Mikey said, shortly. "You are not leaving my sight." He smiled up at me. I chuckled a little.

"That is my line, shell for brains. Look at you. I should have listened to you. I made all the wrong choices."

"Leo. Shut up." Mikey tugged on my bandana, diverting my attention back to him. "Do..you.."He licked his lips before going on. "Do you remember when you got sick…what you promised?"

MY eyes bore into his blue ones. Promised…I thought for a moment, recalling. I did remember. I remember Mikey begging me to never leave him. I remembered him catching one shell of a cold after that because he stayed with me the whole night. It seemed like such a long time ago. Mikey never mentioned it. I had thought he had forgotten it.

"You're breaking your promise, Leo." Mikey said, square in my face.

"Wait.."

"No! You promised. Now you are letting yourself be used. It is written all over you. Leo. I rather you let me die, then do that. If you do this. I will NEVER forgive you."

My mouth parted. "What? I'm trying to safe you, Mikey. How could you…"

"No. I want you to save _**US**_!" Mikey gave another jerk on my bandana we were almost nose to nose now. I pulled back, but all that resulted was the fabric becoming painfully tight around my eyes.

"You hear me, Leo? Don't you dare back out on this! You can do anything! You stop bad guys, take the heat for goof-balls like me from Splinter, heck Even Raph."

Mikey was talking non-stop. "You can do this! I know you can!"

"Splinter, bad guys and Raph should not all be in the same sentence." I pointed out. Mikey let out a little laugh. "I know right? But they are."

I smiled at him, relieve a little bit to hear him laugh.

"Leo…you're amazing."

Okay, now the nut was making me turn red. I wasn't use to all this positive talk about me. It was coming from Mikey way too easy. Just dripping from his lips. I always had to work for a compliment from Splinter. I was never told I was amazing though. Heck, I wasn't. But Mikey was acting like he totally believed this.

I sighed, taking a hold of his wrist, but remarkably for a beat up guy, he had a firm grip.

"Mikey. I think you are drugged. I'm not some super hero." I muttered, trying to pry his fingers from my bandana.

"To me, Leo. You are." Mikey stared up at me with radiant eyes, shinning. I felt extremely awkward now. Why was he saying all this? "Mikey..this really isn't the place. We locked in a room with bad guys right outside the door. Quit it. I need you to listen to me. I'm getting you out of here."

Mikey shook his head. "I don't care. This is the perfect place..because you're with me."

"Will you please let go? You are talking crazy!" I asked, pulling hard now.

"No matter what. You got to get us both out. You can't break your promise. What would I do without you? No matter what, I love you, Leo." Then he kissed me, right on the cheek, It was very sloppy and straight out gross. I mean, my brothers and I love each, but I do not think one has ever really show affection through a kiss. At least, not when we were all serious. A hug? Fine. A loving jab? Right. A kiss? Yeah, Mikey was far gone.

I gripped his shoulders , pulling my head free. My nose was wrinkled up; annoyed that he had done that here.

He gave a small laugh. I frowned. "Stop it! This is no time to be messing around, Mikey…You.." I stopped. He stared at me with heavy eyes.

I guess I was being shallow. I sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Now, I felt guilty. The poor guy was completely hyped up on drugs and had the crap kicked out of him. _He doesn't need a lecture about being serious, Leo._ I reminded myself.

"Mike…" I heard a loud snore and jumped. I looked back down at him. He was sound asleep. I smiled. Yup, totally out of it. I gentle moved his head, placing him on the floor as I rose to my feet. I lifted him up, gingerly, carrying him to the couch.

I softly laid him on it, sitting on the floor next to him. I gave my head a shake. "You can't hold me to a promise that I made when we were kids." I told him. "You can't..make this any harder for me than it already is." I turned away, my shell pressed to the bottom of the couch.

I didn't want to die. I really didn't want to even fight. But it is what was given to me. I had to take what actions were necessary. Why couldn't anyone understand this? Why couldn't anyone, not even my brothers relate?

I put a hand to my face, pulling my knees up to my chest. This wasn't supposed to happen. My brothers weren't supposed to be pulled into this again. It should have all died with Shredder. Mikey shouldn't be here hurt. Raph and Don shouldn't be alone.

My fingers curled. No…but it did happen. I had to put things right. I knew I could do this. Why did Mikey have to…..I cut myself short. Actions were necessary. A leader knows this. I knew this.

"I'm sorry, Mikey. But, I'm not a superhero." I muttered, out loud. "I'm sorry. I will have to break my promise. Even if you hate me forever. Even if you do not forgive me. You will live."


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's POV

Things are fucking crazy now. I am all jumbled up inside. Worse than before. I think I'm losing what's left of my mind. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. Leaving, walking away…running back to the lair.

It's like a friggin tomb. I swear I can't breathe down here. Don is locked up in his lab. I ain't even touching that shit. Who knows what monsters he was creating in there?

The lab.

This is where all this madness went down. Those pictures…the way I think now. Did I change? Was I always this way? Was I just blind? It all seemed so distant.

The whole thing was making my head ache. Leo…I didn't even know where he was. The clueless ass. But, I knew I wanted him home. For fuck' sake. Listen to me! I'm a fucking romantic! Dammit all!

I looked up at the clock…ticking away. I bared my teeth at it_. Why?_ Things were so messed up. But the world went on. It didn't give anyone the fucking decentness to think. The next thing you knew, you were stuck….left alone… I groaned, rubbing my forehead. Damn.

I can't sit here. I had to do something. I paced around the lair, but it seemed that everything reminded me of what was missing. Mikey's remote control on the table. Dishes in the sink…the unlit candles in the dojo. This place was getting to me.

I looked slowly up to Leo's dark room. That bastard. Emotionless. Leo was like stone all the time. How the hell was he going to save Mikey? How the fuck does he think I would just sit around forever? It had been three days now! Damn martyr.

I was suffocating. The rage was brimming over in me again. I wanted to scream, throw things, anything…except cry. Something to distract me. It was clear now. Now after all these years, all those fight with Leo. It was clear as a light turning on why he got on my nerves. And I'm not just referring to his attitude. Call you what you want it. Maybe I was insane…

I headed up to his room, not really sure why I was going where I was. Maybe I just missed him; maybe I was just tired as fuck. I hadn't slept in days. I hadn't done anything. It was like we stopped living. We lived trapped in the darkness. I missed them. I missed them both. I was worried as shell.

I didn't like sitting around. I hated it. I hated this. My hand was resting on Leo's door knob, I stood there. Transparent. Vivid. my heart was pretty much being broadcasted on my damn sleeve. If the others were here, they would be laughing their asses off. I was half mooning outside Leo's door.

I pushed the door open and instantly felt a rush of coldness. Leo's room was always cold. Drafty. I wondered why he never did anything about it. Don would fix it. But Leo always insisted it was fine. My eyes lingered on the shadows in the room. The book stand, the swords on the wall. Desk in the corner. Candles every where. The straw mat on the floor that served as Leo's bed.

It was something that made me give a look of disgust. I never did understand why Leo got rid of his bed. It was just something that Leo did at the time, I figured he was weird as usual and ignored it. I took it for granted. He did strange things, like what he ate and what he read. He did a lot of things that didn't make sense. Things that I wish I could have asked him now.

_**NO! **_

I backed out of the room, feebly. My eyes expanded. Why was I thinking like this? I was acting like they were dead! I stared into the room. Leo was coming back. I knew it. He had to. And when he did, I was going to buy him a bed. It was damn depressing, his room.

I noticed a notebook by mat on the floor. I hadn't noticed it before. It had blended in. I stepped into the room, feeling a bit out of place. Like I was violating Leo's sanctuary.

Whatever. If he didn't want people in his room, he shouldn't leave it unguarded. I picked the book up, taking it with me, heading fof my own room, wanting to escape the cold of Leo's room.

I kicked my door shut behind me, flinging myself into my hammock. I flipped the book open and studied the pages. Shit. It was Leo's journal. I swallowed, wondering if I should just stop. But something caught my eye. Leo's journal wasn't really in words.

The last page showed me that. It was a drawing dating to a week ago. I wasn't expecting it. Mikey is a natural artist in our family. He had pictures ever where. But, I was shocked by Leo's work.

It was a Japanese scene of a river, into the country. An arched bridge connected the two banks. It was pretty good. Damn good. Why had he never mentioned that he could draw? I notice words above the bridge in the drawing. He had written in that perfect handwriting of his, "Let it flow in the water."

Okay, this is the shit I'm talking about.

What the hell was that suppose to mean? He fucking wrote his journal in pictures and messed up fucking proverbs or something? What the hell? Why did he have to be so….complicated?

I turned the page back towards the beginning of the book and then the next, scanning the pages. All dates and pictures. It was full of this crap!

"If unreason come, reason goes? Rained on hard grounds?" I read out loud.

Damn, he was giving me bigger headache even when he wasn't here. The pictures were perfect, just like Leo's hand writing. Almost like it was done by Don's computer rather than by a hand.

I closed the book with a snap. Leonardo was a true freaking mystery in progress. Did he ever just do things the easy way?

"RAPH!" I caught myself before I flung sideways out of my hammock from Don's voice. There was alarm in it. I leapt from the bed. Don was in the lair by the front door. He was on his knees; I could tell he was holding someone in his arms. He looked over his shoulder at me.

"Help me."

I took a step closer and realization set in. I knew who it was half laying on the floor and half in my brother's arms.

"Mikey!"


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N : Hey, I was asked where I came up with my ideas by several readers. It's kind of hard to describe, really. I have tons of ideas floating around. I do my best work at night. I normally fall asleep with a pen in my hand….and wake up with a lot of ink on my face…XD**

Mikey Pov's

Did things ever not make sense to you? Did you ever wish there was a way to interpret things correctly? It didn't matter. He had lied to me. I didn't know where I was or why I was anymore. Even when I was awake it was only half. Like my eyes were open, I was seeing, but nothing computed. I might as well have been seeing nothing.

Just when the little things, like the gleam of a light in the far distance or the sound of the heart monitor by my head began to set in as reality…the pain would come jolting through.

I would wake up, screams tearing out of me. My whole body arching in agony. That when Don would appear beside me. I would reach out for him, pleading. There would be another injection and I would return to the weightlessness.

I rather have been there anyways. Why was it so hard to for me pinpoint what was bothering me? Bits, pieces like fractured glass, came to me in my dreams. I knew he lied…but it didn't make altogether sense. The nightmares scared me as much as the pain hurt me. I didn't want to think.

Time past. Days, maybe weeks. I wasn't sure. Each I woke up, it hurt less. Sometimes, I could laid there for some time, alone, before it came on to my like a freight train running me over. One of these, when I came to, I heard them talking. Don and Raph, that is. Not Leo. Never Leo.

I was staring up at the dark ceiling of the lab. It was always dark. It would always be dark now. I knew this in my heart.

"Ya can't keep drugging the hell outta him like this, Donnie!" Raph sounded like he was trying to pull the old menacing card on the brainiac, but Don was putting out a good fight. They were out in the T.V. room from what it sounded like. I turned my face to the sound and found a small glow of light. It wavered in front of my eyes. The T.V was on.

"Are you kidding me, Raph? Have you not been looking at him? His body went through extreme destruction! He was a complete wreck. I wasn't even sure if he was going to make it through the first night! I don't know how the shell he even made it to the lab! He needs to heal…"

"It's been a week! A whole shitty week!" Raph shot back. "We don't even know where the fuck Leo is! Mikey is the only one around here with some goddamn answers!"

"That isn't fair! You know how I felt about that!" Don snapped, getting clearly irritated. "But he is mentally not here, Raph. When he is up, he just gazes off into space and starts screaming! I don't know what they did to him mentally, but I do know that I can't risk you _screwing _Mikey up even more!"

"Even if that means letting Leo die." Raph asked, quietly. I closed my eyes, turning my head away. I didn't want to here this. I wish they would stop. They should just give up. It was over.

There was an uneasy silence for a moment. I wondered, briefly if they had actually killed each other now. Then I heard movement, A sound of someone getting to there feet. "You don't know, Don. They could be doing the same shit to Leo, right now!"

Raph sound desperate. His voice was echoing in the lair. It sound shrill, which was saying something when it came from Raph's body.

There was movement. "Donnie.."

"How could you even say that to me?" Don's voice was dangerously quiet. I almost didn't hear it. "You think I like this? You think you're the only one who gives a shit about Leo?"

"Well, you got a jacked up way of showing it." Raph said, hotly.

"Bull shit!" Donnie half screamed.

I covered my ears with my hands, curling up, ignoring the stabs of pain I felt. All they did was fight. I never felt such a heavy emptiness, like I was too numb to feel.

Leo….I didn't want to remember…just the things I saw in my dreams…if they were real..Shell…Tears heated my eyes. I closed them. But where was Leo?

_Don't you know? _

A voice in my head asked. _He's dead._ I didn't have a denial for that. I didn't know. Maybe that is why I'm afraid to remember. Because then…I would know what happened. I felt like I was living in two worlds now. One foot in the land of the living and the other in my sub-conscience, hiding in my own head.

How long had it been?

Things did begin to progress. But I didn't speak. I barely ate when Don tried to force food in my mouth. Everything was bland, tasteless. A feeling struck in the pit of stomach like a coil. Something was developing. I was having flashbacks that I didn't want. The fear…the sounds….the horror…Leo…

Something unspeakable, no matter how much Don pleaded from me. Don kept Raph at bay. I had still yet to see him. It didn't matter, my brain was haunting me with something that I was pleading it to forget.

Then it finally happened. One night when while Don was in the kitchen preparing me food, I was shaken awake, roughly. My eyes snapped up and I recoiled, letting loose a scream, before realizing it was Raph's face that was swarming in my view.

"Christ." Raph muttered, he turned shutting the lab door and locking it. It was obvious why. He was locking Donnie out. I pushed back away form him fearfully. He looked my over with his golden eyes.

I was sure I didn't look that great, but Raph didn't look too hot either. He had bags under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in years. He had bandages on his hands around his knuckles. That was probably self-inflicted.

"Now, take it easy, Mikey. I just wanna talk. Ya remember talking?" His voice seems to echo in the hollowness of the room. He came over, pulling Don's chair closer to the edge of the bed. I eyed him, warily. Talk…no..I didn't do that anymore.

"You need to tell me what happened." Raph said his voice full of earnest. I stared, impassively. Leo. I looked away.

"No!" Raph punched the mattress. I shrieked, trying to scoot away from him, but he grabbed a hold of me. "Damn it, Mikey. Stay put!"

The door behind him shudder. Don was back. But the room was sound-proof…so he could only guess what was happening in here.

I pulled trying, frantically to get away from my brother, but Raph was too strong. "Mikey! Tell me!"

I began hyperventilating. My chest heaving, I stared up at Raph. He gave me a shake. "Mikey! NOW!"

"I-I don't know…" I cried out, our eyes locked. Raph's eyes seem to crush me. He knew. He wasn't going to stop now. Now he was getting somewhere. Fear flooded me.

"Whatcha mean ya don't know?" He growled, his fingers breaking the skin on my shoulders.

"Raph..I don't know." I could barely talk…I could barely breathe. It hit me hard. That day…I knew. I grabbed Raph's fore arms. His eyes ridges lifted, but now it was flowing out of me. There was no way to halt it.

" They said he was dead. They said that they were letting me go because he was dead….they said he killed himself..." Tears poured uncontrollably from my eyes. The images of that day flashing through them.

"I only saw him once….Raph…he lied….I didn't want him to get me out…I didn't care what they did to me…I wanted us both to go home!"

The look on Raph's face sagged, he staggered back, shaking his head at me, but I clung tohim. I knew he didn't want to hear this. Anything but this.

"Raph. I'm sorry! The next day….. He's dead. He died for me…Raph! It's all my fault...Raph!" I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want to lose another brother.

"Raph…I tried…please..."

"Stop." Raph's voice was shaking, soft. It sounded worn down to the bone. He took my wrists in his hands. "Just stop." He pushed me back into the bed.

He turned, unlocking the door. Don was there in a heart beat, his mouth open, ready for the kill, but Raph shoved by him. Don never got a chance to say a word. A second later we heard the door to the lair slam shut. Don turned to me, his expression concerned.

"Mike?"

I fell back against my pillows, flat out wailing into my cupped hands.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Don gathered me up in his arms, pulling me to his chest. He held me tight. I let him, crying. I couldn't stop…I remembered.

He lied.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

A/N: A very short chapter. Chapter 42 is being a pain...=(

Donatello's POV

This had to be a dream. A bad dream. Leo couldn't be gone. There was a mistake. Yeah, denial. I dove myself into the care of my little brother. Mikey was almost insane with despair. How could this happen?

All I could think about was all the "what ifs." What if I had gotten up sooner? What if I had not fought with Raph? What if I had told Leo how I felt? Dead in the night. That was the toughest time to deal with it. I would lay in bed, the pain and emptiness edging at me.

I hated it. How quiet it was. How Raph never came back home until morning. Mikey lay in the lab like an empty shell. How Leo wasn't there.

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?

Those words kept turning in my brain, surging to the surface. The whole thing felt unreal, like it had to be happening to someone else. Not us. I would fall into dreamless sleep, awake and remember all over again. How could this happen?

But, I still hadn't cried. I needed to. I even wanted to. But the tears wouldn't come. My body didn't want to accept it. I didn't want to accept it.

"_He's dead. I'm sorry." _

I shivered. Mikey's mournful cries racking inside my skull. It was so cold. Another week had past. Raph spent all his time on the surface, searching. I didn't stop him, in fact, none of us talked anymore. There was nothing to say. What could we say?

I never felt so helpless. I fixed everything…yet..this was beyond my control. The one thing that mattered and I couldn't do a thing about it. I felt small…utterly unimportant.

I kept busy doing meaningless tasks. I made food, I cleaned, and I slept. Things just to survive. Things to keep my mind off the true dilemma. My brother was dead.

Mikey got better. He started limping around, but it was a small triumph. Why couldn't I wake up and things were fine? The T.V was always on now. A normal drone in the background. Another day in the world. A world without Leo.

The lair door banged open. I looked up, mildly, stunned. It was only noon. Raph never came back this early. My hopes rose and fell. It was Raph. I could tell from where I was sitting that he was seriously smashed. The alcoholic was reeking from him. He walked in a slightly, tilted manner, using the wall to steady himself.

I frowned, disgusted. He was getting trashed regularly now, but this was early for even him. He staggered over, instead of going to his room. Another alarm shot through my head. Why is he coming over here?

Mikey shifted, nervously from his position on that couch. We were watching Raph's every move. Raph put a hand on the back of the couch, regarding Mikey and Me.

Dang. He's eyes looked a bit crossed. Why did he do this to himself?

"Sup." Raph mumbled, incoherently. He then flopped forward, falling over the back of the couch and onto to the cushions. Mikey yelped, scrambling up on to the arm rest to avoiding getting pancaked. Raph began to snore. Not a little. I was pretty sure that he could cause an avalanche if we lived by the mountains.

"Gah." I said. It was a small word, but it broke the silence. It was the first I had said in weeks. I was a bit surprise at my slip up. Mikey looked up at me, his nose wrinkled up.

"He smells worse than jockey shorts."

I laughed and then threw my hands over my mouth, eyes wide. Mikey's blue eyes studied me. The glow from the television made them seem brighter than ever. They looked sad.

"Its okay, Don."

I shook my head. No. Laughing wasn't allowed. How could I be so stupid? How could I be happy when Leo was… I turned away, heading to my room. Mikey didn't call me back.

How could this happen?


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

A/N: Yeah…..can't keep a good turtle down!

Leonardo's POV

One more day of this and I was going to kill myself for real. I knew I was thinking ungratefully, bit it was pretty difficult to feel thankful for living when everything was in the gutter.

The first week had been the hardest…I had barely made it out alive. I had so much blood on my hands. But at least it was me with the problems and not my brothers. I could take this. I could take anything knowing they were alive. It was my responsibility.

My plan had worked perfectly. But I hadn't figured out the after of it. One step at a time. Plus it isn't easy hitch-hiking unsuspecting cars. Mainly trucks. I would have to sneak into the back of pick-up trucks, semis, heck even mail delivery trucks. It's a long distance from Arizona to New York.

I had longed for the sight of my city. My home. The place were it felt right to be.

I had to be very careful. In my current state in the beginning, I knew I would have trouble fighting back. The blast had left me with a great deal of pain. But I can handle pain. As the weeks progress, my injuries were less noticeable. The skin healed. The bruises faded, bones mended.

Still, I needed to stay out of the radar. I wasn't sure…if I got him yet…

I knew I wasn't home free. I knew that but, by week four, I as I watched my brother leave and go our lair, there was still no sign. I was getting restless. I was so close and so far. I felt pure agony knowing that Raph was searching for me, but I held fast.

This wasn't about me. This was about keeping stake out. I needed to make sure that they weren't following my brothers, that they weren't looking for us.

I had to keep firm and wait it out. If I had made a mistake I couldn't risk getting my brothers mixed up in it. This couldn't be all in vain. I had to keep vigil.

As week eight rolled around, I was completely stirred crazy. Raph was still coming to the surface, but he searched less. He would sit on rooftops, just staring out over the city. At times, it looked like he might have been crying. My heart burned. I wanted to go to him. I wanted to tell him that it was alright. That we would be a family again. Just to wait a little longer.

I wish I could call them, but I wasn't positive that their phones weren't tapped in on. He was right out in the open, but still nothing. Maybe they really were gone.

One the tenth week, on a late night, I decided it was safe. I had never felt such a joy as I entered the sewers. All the familiarities that I had been longing for. But now, that I was sure I was out of the belly of the dragon and I was standing by the secret opening of our lair. I wasn't sure how to enter my home. It was late….I hoped they were asleep. But what if they weren't?

What would I say to them? What would they do at the sight of me? They probably hated me for doing this to them? Would the forgive me? What about Mikey? He said he would never forgive me.

My hand went to my chest as if my heart just collapsed. What if he _really_ did never forgive me? A bitter taste rose in my throat, but I kept it there. If that was the price for them living, then it would be worth it.

I stared at the door. I had hurt them all so much. It might be better off if I never came home. Maybe I was just being selfish, putting them through this.

It's funny how these things turn out. I had just escaped area 51 and death itself, yet I was scared to open my own front door. I smiled and shook my head. Don would say it was "ironic" and it was.

It was stone quiet in the lair and pitch-black except for the glow of the t.v. I tiptoed over, not want to disturb them. Mikey was sound sleep in the armchair and Raph was drooling all over the upholstery of the couch. I smiled at them, fondly. They looked okay. I went to their rooms, retrieving each their own blanket. After effectively covering them up, I took a gander over at Don's lab, but it too was dark. I glanced at his room and saw a faint light under his door.

I pushed the door open, peering inside. Donnie was sprawled out on his stomach, lights blazing and notebooks scattered around him. I sighed, shaking my head. He looked just like he had when he was little. I scooped up the books and pulled the quilt up over his sleeping form. He moaned in his sleep, rolling over to his side and gripping his pillow. I quietly placed his books on his bed stand and switched the light off.

I stepped out, gazing around the lair. Everything was exactly as I had left it. They were all in one piece. I picked up the remote to the entertainment center, turning it off.

Everything was fine…except for that horrible stench. Great Scotts! Was that Raphael?

I leaned over him and sniffed and quickly covered my nose. Yep. It was. What the shell has he been doing? Sleeping with a bunch of pigs? Sick. First thing he is doing is taking a bath or I would be dunking his shell in the pool. Oh and a lecture on hygiene. I pulled a face, drifting up stairs to my room.

The door was open, strange. I like it closed. I peeked inside, scanning the darkness. It seemed nothing had been disturbed…no…I glanced around. Something wasn't right. I couldn't place what though. I shrugged, too tired to think on it. I headed over to my desk, taking off my katanas and placing them on the desk, neatly.

I step onto my mat and collapsed on it, happily. A great burden lifting from my shoulders. It was so good to be home. They were all safe…I could finally rest now. My body instantly gave into the command, willingly. After so long without rest, it shut down.

I felt nothing as I drifted into the blackness.


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Michaelanglo's POV

It started like any other day. I talked myself into getting up and went to the bathroom. I checked myself out in the mirror and commented on how awful I looked out loud. You could barely recognize the scars on my chin and neck though. That was good. It was slowly being erased. Still, it sucked. At least, I didn't look as bad as Raph, right?

Gosh. I missed Raph. Sure I saw him a lot but it wasn't _really _him. The same went for Don. A lot of things were different now. I missed the good times. I missed Raph's tough guy routines. I missed Don's inventions. Heck, dude doesn't even fix the toaster anymore. I missed how things were. I missed Raph's fights with Leo. Flat out missed Leo.

I sighed, loudly. Was it wrong of me to wish they would stop now? To stop grieving? I didn't want to mourn any more. Leo wouldn't want is to be so sad for so long. But my brothers were just not ready to move on. And on certain days, I wasn't either. I guess there wasn't a time limit. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't lost anyone. Everyone grieves differently.

I was always the first one up now. It's strange. Even now. I used to be second or third. Raph, normally around 3pm would consider rolling over. Don…depending on his mood came out of his room. I wondered what he was doing in there with all those notebooks.

Geez, I wanted my family back. I left the bathroom and set out about my tasks for the day. I noticed however, immediately a void. Something was missing. I scratched my head trying to think what was the matter. It was soooo…quiet. That was it! The t.v. was off.

I frowned. The T.V. hadn't been turned off since I got back. In fact, I noticed the blanket. Someone had covered me up. Maybe Don was nocturnal and creeping about the lair at the dead of night. I checked on Raph, who was still plastered to the couch. He had a blanket too.

Man, the guy looked so trashed and I was pretty sure that he hadn't had a shower since Leo….

I cut short the thought before the sadness could take a hold of me. Not today. Today, I wasn't going to think about it.

I glanced at Raph and considered dumping a bucket of water on him in hopes of the removal of the smell, but decided against it. A wise man once said, "A wasted Raph is a dangerous Raph."

I flipped the T.V. on and all was right now as I headed to the kitchen. I glanced at the clock. It was noon. Hmmm, lunch for breakfast again. I went about my usual business. I brew coffee for Don, made a nasty hangover remedy for Raph. This involved through raw eggs and what ever else I could find in the kitchen in the blender. I stuck out my tongue, grossed out as I poured it in a tall glass. I don't get how Raph can do this to himself.

I warmed up a slice of pizza for me and was making my way to the T.V room when Don came stumbling out of his room, half asleep. He was making a bee line for the potty.

"Yo. Coffee is ready." I called over to him. He mumbled his thanks without looking at me as he shut the door. I set Raph's "healing potion of barf" on the table for him and settled back into my armchair, munching away.

Donnie came out of the bathroom, not looking much better, zoning out as he headed for the kitchen. I yawned, my pizza finished. I surf the channels, bored, staring at the T.V.

Paradise at its best.

"Turn that damn thing down." Growled Raph from the couch. He shifted, so he could glare at me through slated eyes.

"Morning." I replied. "You're cure awaits." I nodded to the glass. He made a face and picked up drinking. I held back a gag and looked away.

He put the glass down and glanced up behind me. "Who closed Leo's door?" I looked back. Sure enough it was closed. That was weird. It had been open for the last 8 weeks.

"Probably Donnie, the T.V was off too this morning." I stretched in the chair, feet straight out.

"What the hell? What's his little dweeby problem now? I don't want him touchin Leo's door!" Raph was snarling trying to untangle himself from the blanket. He wasn't having much success. "Who the fuck put this damn piece of shit on me?"

I sighed. Here we go. Raph was always so cheery in the mornings. If I had know he was going to wake up in such a nasty mood, I would have gone ahead and doused him earlier with the water.

"What are you screaming about? It's only one in the afternoon." Don snapped, coffee mug in hand. He gave Raph a look of pure grouchiness. You could really sense the love.

"You! Ya can't just stop messin with shit!" Raph flung the blanket on the ground; shot up and almost fell right back down. He sat back down hard, on the edge of the sofa, his head in his hands.

"Augh. My fucking head." He moaned.

"Serves you right. You're literally wreck your body every night and then wonder why it is.." Don began.

"Shut up." Raph retorted. He glared up at Donnie. "I don't need a fucking lecture, Leo."

We all froze, including Raph. It had been a slip of the tongue, but it had been the first time any of us had said his name in ages. I decided that this was a good time to intervene.

"Guys, you can't keep doing this. We're falling apart." I said, hoping to get through to them this time.

"Who are we kidding?" Donnie injected. "We can't work together. We can't even stand each other!"

"That's not true…" I tried, helplessly, but Raph interrupted.

"No, Don's right. Why the hell do I even stay here?"

"No…" I began.

"My point exactly. All you do is cause problems. You have always caused problems!"

"Is that right!" Raph was on his feet, wobbling towards Don, who stood his ground.

"STOP IT!" I bellowed. Their eyes turned to me. I stood on the armchair, both hands over my ears. I glared, lowering my hands.

"You guys, are both killing yourself! You never eat, Don! You barely sleep! You're stressed out all the time! You Raph, you're a drunk! Neither one of you would be acting like this, if you would just stop it! Leo would totally freak out if he saw you guys acting like this!"

"Mikey.." Don began, but I pointed my finger at him, stopping his speech in its tracks.

"No! You are going to listen to me on this!" I said, it forcefully and was a little surprised at the reaction I got from them. They both stared up at me, mouths wide and eyes large. I was a little bit taken back; I mean…I'm not really that big of a threat for either one of them. They could totally pound me if they could catch me. ..

"I agree with Michaelanglo one hundred percent."

I jumped about ten feet in the air at the sound of that voice and turned around. Leonardo stood outside his door, looking a bit sleepy. For a second, time stood still, and then I let out a blood curling scream.

**My GOD! I WAS SEEING A GHOST! I had lost my mind, finally! **

There was a crash of tinkling glass, followed by a loud thud behind me. I looked over my shoulder. Donnie had fainted on the spot, his coffee mug laid shattered next to him, the dark liquid of coffee was oozing all over the floor. Okay…I guess Don could see him. Maybe I wasn't going crazy at least…or maybe we all had…

"You see him too, Raph?" I asked my red wearing brother.

Raph stared for a full minute and then leaned over the armrest of the couch and threw up.

Right.


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Raphael's POV

Okay, to say I was in shock was putting it lightly. I had just lost quite a bit of my drink on the living room floor. When I looked back up Leonardo was already down the stairs. He looked okay, except there was some badass scarring on his right shoulder.

He looked us a bit awkwardly and cleared his throat. "Uh..hey." He said in a sheepish voice.

Hey? After all this he says_, HEY!_ I was on my feet instantly and threw a right hook at his smug face. He dodges with a tilt of his head, but I kept going charging into him. We slammed into the floor and I screamed in his face, spraying spit the hell all over him.

"_FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING FUCK!" _

Leo looked up at me with quarter size eyes. We held each others gaze for a moment, and then he wet his lips with his tongue. Yeah, I was pretty sure he was playing dirty now. I watched.

"Honestly, Raph. I didn't know it was possible, but I think you're swearing has gotten worse. That one….."

I stared at him. My swearing? He just miraculous appears back from the dead and he is worried about my fucking swearing? Mikey snorted loudly, next to me. I gave him a death look and he backed up, still wearing that retarded grin.

"Where have you been?" I whispered back to Leo, but was interrupted as he yanked me down into a full out hug.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered. Sorry…..whatever. He wasn't just going to get me back that easy. I shoved him away, getting to my feet.

"Raph…" he tried, looking at me with mournful eyes. I knew I should just let it go, be happy and all that shit, but I couldn't. It was as welling up inside of me spinning out of control.

"You…." I couldn't think of anything else to say. All the words just stayed tangled up in the back of my throat. I turned storming to my room and banging the door shut. Behind the closed door, I sunk down to my knees and wept. Literally bawling my eyes. He was back..he was alive….

A mixture of emotions ranged through me. I was pissed as bloody hell and at the same time beyond any normal happiness. I was stunned and relieved…I felt like I was going to erupt. I got to my feet and gave the wall a sudden punch, hoping to release some tension. I barely felt the pain. The wall cracked.

I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead just above it. That's how I felt. Like the wall….cracked…broken…My fist tighten. Tears on my face.

Damn him! Damn him for doing this shit to me!

I don't know how long I stayed like that, trying to keep the emotions in, when I heard Don's voice. The little twerp was up. I moved from my spot on the wall, to my door, listening.

"What happened, Leo?" Don was asking. I heard Leo take a breath. "It's pretty complicated."

Complicated? My rage flew up again. He was the one who made things the hell complicated! He got us into this mess! He…..

"Leo.." Don's voice slid into my thoughts. He sounded, like he was pleading. I frowned. Doing the old pathetic thing? Really, Don. He just got here and you're gonna start that crap again? I was pissed but…

"Look, I'm back. That is all you need to know right now..." Leo was saying, but he stopped suddenly.

"Did you kill them?"

I pressed my ear hard against the door now. Hanging on Don's every word. There was a long pause. I waited, straining to hear.

"I….I…" Leo's voice was shaking…It was layered with emotions I couldn't identify. Shit. I was never good at this emotional crap.

"I'm not talking about that." Leo finished. "Look, I wasn't trying to hurt you guys.."

"Well, you did…"

The angry voice that shot out however was not Don's. It was Mikey? Seriously? I pulled the door open, stepping out, to make sure that I hadn't lost my marbles.

Mikey was standing infront of our leader. He looked as mad as shell. His normally happy blue eyes were fixed on Leo with such intense angry that it freaked me out a little.

Leo sighed, rubbing his forearm with his hand. "Mikey…"

Mikey lunged forward, his hand covering Leo's mouth. There was a loud smack as their bodies collided. We all gasped and Don made a move to grab Mikey, but stopped as the youngest turtle began crying.

"No! I don't want to hear your excuses! You broke your promise, Leo! How could you?"

Leonardo tried to pull back, but Mikey followed, never letting go of his face. "I..I thought I killed you, Leo! I thought you died! I told you not to do it!"

Leo worked his hand up between his mouth and Mikey's pushing it back. There was a red welt in the shape of a handprint over his lips. Leo's eyes looked like they were on fire, in frustration.

"Then don't forgive me!" Leo snapped. "But, I wasn't going to let any of you died! That is what.."

"SHUT UP!" Mikey was beside himself, he began pummeling Leo in the chest with his fists! It was rare for Mikey to get this worked up, but Leo being gone had messed with him bad too. It did with all of us.

"**I AM NOT YOUR JOB! I AM YOUR FAMILY! YOU ARE MY FAMILY!"**

He cried out with each blow. The look on Fearless's face was priceless. He stood there, arms loose at his side, letting Mikey beat on him. Don gently took a hold of Mikey's shoulder. Mikey let him, crying huge tears. Don steered him towards the kitchen, leaving Leo standing there, staring at the ground.

Okay…I felt a tad bad for a guy. Not much…mind ya. But a little. I came over to him. He looked like someone had just taken a shit on his favorite mediating mat.

"Leo…"

He straightens at the sound of my voice, raising his eyes to meet mine. "I know, Raph." He snapped and I felt some anger leak back into me, despite myself.

"Ya know what?" I demanded, roughly. _Christ!_ This guy had a fucking gift. He could piss me off in three words or less! He should fucking write a book!

"I screwed up! Okay, I get it. I probably shouldn't have came back.." He mumbled that last part. I shoved him into the wall. He looked startled as his shell scraped the brick.

"Ya wanna run that by me again, Leo?" I hissed, right in his face.

He looked dejected, at the floor, refusing to meet my eyes. I leaned into him. "LEO!" I shouted. He jerked a little at the force of my voice, but still wasn't answering.

Stubborn prick. Well two can play that game. I put my finger against his chest, pointing rudely.

"You just dot get it, do ya?" I snarled. "He ain't mad that ya cuz ya came back, he's mad cuz ya don't give a shit!"

Leo's eyes flashed and he pushed away from the wall, getting right the fuck up in my face, but I wasn't backing down now. Not that I had a reaction.

"And how do I not give a shit, Raph?" He growled at me, his nose was almost touching mine. When he spoke a got a blast of cool heat from his mouth. And he was swearing…..

_Damn…that is sooo friggin hot.._ I gave my head a little shake, letting the moment past before answering.

"You don't give a shit, Leo, because ya throw yourself under the damn bus." I replied, evenly, advancing, forcing him a step back again, towering over him in height, but he stood tall, eyes square on mine. It made me smirk. Leo didn't back down either…

"What the shell does that have to do with anything?" He wanted to know.

I gave myself a little chuckle at that. The bastard had been gone all this time, faced who the hell knew what and_ still_ was as clueless as ever. It was typical for Leo. I was laughing. I couldn't the fuck help it. It just seemed right for him. He glared at me, waiting for an answer.

"Ya amaze me, Leo." I laughed. He bared his teeth at me, eyes narrowing. I was ticking him off. So maybe I was messing with him. Ya so sue me. It had been a while.

"What's so funny?" He asked his hands in fists by his sides. I shook my head. Hell, no. I wasn't going to do this now. I waited this long. I could wait a little longer. Besides, I had other things to take care of first.

"Ya just don't get it, Fearless." I told him, pulling away. I turned towards the kitchen, leaving him standing there, looking as confused as sin, but I wanted to talk to Mikey.

We were going to get this settled once and for all.


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

Donatello's POV

The word stunned comes to mind, among many others. I felt like I was on autopilot. He had killed them…I had seen the look on his face. Rage. But, I had also seen the scar on his shoulder. It was a burn. And from the appearance….it was burning for a while.

I handed Mikey a soda can and a tissue as he hiccupped, standing next to me in a kitchen. My mind was reeling. There was countless questions I had to ask. I was so…

Mikey handed me back the tissue. "Dude, you need it more then me?' He said, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. I blinked, puzzle. Me? I put a hand to my face and it came back wet. I was crying.

I stared at the wetness on my fingertips. I hadn't cried the whole time Leo had been presumed dead. It was odd that I would cry upon his return. Maybe inside, I really did know. Maybe I rather cry tears of joy versus sorrow?

Cripes. Look at me. I was suppose to be helping Mikey….I smiled at him and he smiled back. "Let's like we're the foursome again, instead of a threesome." He winked at me.

I felt a blush rush to my face. "Gah! Mikey!"

He laughed a little. I put my hand on his shoulder. "Hey." I said, serious. "You aren't going to…I mean…You will.."

He nodded before I could complete my sentence. "Forgive him? Yeah. I totally love Leo, so it won't be hard. But I am going to make the dude work for it. Raph's right, we totally gotta take of the guy now."

It was a deadpan, all right. I stared at Mikey. "Raph said what?"

"He said, Leo doesn't care of himself. So we should, I mean if ya wanna get technically he said he would but ya get the id.."

"Raph said that?" I repeated. I was wondering if we were talking about the same Raph here. The Raph I knew was the one who was trying to beat Leo up then nurse. But then again….I must have looked like I was thinking hard because...

"Ya gonna break something."

I gave a jump, shooting Raph a pissy look. How long had he been standing there? From the smirk, it was probably long enough.

"Where's Leo?" Mikey asked, looking anxious. Raph shrugged, crossing his arms, relaxed in front of his chest. "Pouting in the dojo. He thinks he can cure clueless ness with meditation and practice."

Mikey and I exchanged looks as Raph went on. "So I came ta say, I plan on fucking Leo sometime this week, so if my door's shut. Do. Not. Open. It. "

My mouth fell open, dumbfounded. "RAPH!" I was almost speechless. "H-he JUST GOT HERE!"

Mikey started, giggling next to me. "Got to hand it to you, Raph. You can turn a phrase. Geez. You got zero tact, dude."

Raph had a proud look on his face and raised his shoulders ever so slightly as to say, "yeah and so?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I think we should at least and until I examine him, that burn.."

"Oh, I bet you'll _examine _him all right, Don." Raph snorted. He gave Mikey a knowing look. I stepped forward and Raph's smile faded, regarding me.

"Don't push me on this, Raphael."I stated, evenly.

"yow. Lot of tension here." Whistled Mikey. "Let's make a deal, since it's a FRIENDLY challenge, remember?"

Raph turned his gaze to our youngest brother. "What ya got in mind?"

"Let us be present for Leo's check up and then we all wait another week for things to get normal." His smile widen. "And then a FREE FOR ALL!" He cheered the last bit.

I worked my jaw as they both turned to me, waiting for my response. I nodded. "Okay, but no funny business, Raph?' I stuck my jabbed my hand in his general direction. He gripped it and we shook. His golden eyes were bright. "This is going to be fun."

"What's going to be fun?" I yelped and spun around, Leo was position in the door way, giving us a penetrating look. We all must have looked like we had been caught with our hands in the cookie jar, like when we were toddlers.

Leo's eyes shifted between all of us. "So…."he coughed a little. "I am sorry…"

Mikey cut him off, stomping over at him, his hands on his hips. "Not listening." He mocked and swung his ass out the kitchen door, not before throwing me a wink. I was flabbergasted. He wasn't kidding about making Leo work for it.

Leo sighed. "I had hoped, he was ready to talk to me now."

Raph threw an arm over Leo's shoulder, who winced, but Raph acted like it was nothing out of the ordinary. "Ya know, Leo. It's okay cuz Mikey is just a doofus. So count it a blessing. The less he talks, the better."

Leo gave Raph a half-hearted thankful smile, that made my stomach flop. _Keep it together!_

"Yeah, I know. But, I do feel.."

"Hey Leo…I was thinking that I might take a look at that burn…'I said, coming over to take Leo's elbow, while shooting Raph a look. He smirked at me.

Leo, however wouldn't budge away from the hot head. "Ah..no..I'm good, Don. But, thanks." He said, trying to wrench his arm from my grip.

Cripes.

"I really think you should…"I started.

".no." he said quickly, smiling at me. But I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes. I knew Leo hated being weak or ill or helpless or stupid or imperfect or ….Gah.. the control freak.

"Leo." I began again, annoyed now. One because Leo was kind of holding me back with one hand and the other was Raph was over there to busy with his smirking, gleefully at me to give me some assistance!

"I said, I was good, Donnie. I don't need to be looked at.."Leo was saying mean fully through his teeth at me.

"Yes…you..do." I was now full out tugging on him with everything I had..Gah…I needed a pulley or something to move him!

"Leo…" Raph said, finally stepping in. "Youse giving him a stoke. Let Don.."

"I said I was fine!" Leo snapped, jerking his arm free, off balance I backed into the counter. Raph looked a bit astonished, but no more then I was. Leo ducked under Raph's arm and was gone before I could recover.

Raph and I gave each other bewildered looks. "What was that all about?" I mumbled. Raph shook his head. "I don't know, but I think we are goin to hafta give ya a hand. If ya remember last time, he was hurt…"

I shudder at the memory of chasing him around the lair like buffoons. "Let's not." I agreed. Raph eyed me. "Then ya better think of a Leo-proof plan, cuz if he doesn't wanna be look at, ya know Leo.."

I nodded, heading out of the kitchen. The fact that Leo was acting so paranoid was not a good sign. It was just as bad at his refusal to talk about what had happened to him in the first place. He was hiding something. Something critical.

I glanced at Leo who was looking apologetically at Mikey, who was reading a comic book on the couch. But Raph was correct in something.(for possibly the second time that day, sheesh!) It was not going to be easy to nab Leo into doing what he did not want to do.

I tighten my bandana. Well, if that was the case. I would need everyone. I better get out the old game plan book!


	46. Chapter 46

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Let the games begin!**

Leonardo's POV

It would seem from the outside that things were slowly drifting back to normalcy. With the except that Mikey wouldn't have a real conversation with me and that Raph still seriously needed a bath. No I'm wrong, he need the biggest bottle of Frebreze that money could buy and then some.

In fact, that was our recent argument was about. He, for some reason that was beyond me, didn't _feel_ like taking a shower! Well, excuse me, but I do not _**feel**_ like wearing a face mask and gagging, while standing him next to him, but I was considering the first.

"What is the big deal?" I wanted to know. Why did Raphael have to be so frustrating? I was pretty sure the guy took great delight in my misery. The smile plastered to his face was surely proof.

Raphael studied me, grinning the whole while. "How about this, Fearless? I take a shower and you let Don check you up."

I glared at him. "You are not bringing me into this! I'm fine!" He was sneaky but over my dead body was I letting Don probe me today.

He shrugged." Well, I feel fine.' And they call _me_ the stubborn one?

"Okay, Raph. Excuse me." He followed at his leisure as I stomped over to Don's lab, who looked up surprise as I came in with all my fury. I swiped a gas mask from his table.

"I'm borrowing this." I snapped without, waiting for an answer, I pulled in over my face and headed back out, pushing by Raph, who was chuckling.

"That's real cute, Leo." He murmured. I ignored him, heading to my room with him in tow.

"Aw come on, Leo. How ya gonna eat with that on?" He wanted to know.

"I'm sorry, Raph. But I've seem to have lost my appetite." My voice came out muffled in the mask, but heck, I could live with it. Raph shook his head. "Okay, Leo. You win.."

I blinked. _I win?_ Since when does Raph just pull out of a fight? In fact, it was the one consistence thing I could count on.

"Oh and by the way?" He paused and I turned my back to my door and was surprised to find him almost up against me, I leaned back, giving him an awkward look, but he paid it no heed. He held up my journal and I almost lost it. _What the shell was he doing with that?_

"I love your work." He finished.

I tried to grab the book, but he held it out of reach, smirking. I pulled the mask off my face, so I could give him a true glower that this situation called for.

"Give that to me now, Raph." I said, hotly. He went in my room. Honestly, he was worse then some children!

Raph took another step closer. He was completely invading my personal space. I pulled a face.

"Do I have to put the mask back on? Sheesh, Raph. Back up. You're killing me."

Raph arched an eye ridge. "I didn't know you could do funny, Leo."

I gave him my best –you are-so-pissing-me-off-look. "I'm not trying to be funny. I'm serious. You need to go get cleaned up."

Raph smiled, nodding. "You know, Leo, I'm curious." He slipped the book into the front of my belt, nearly giving me a heart attack. I shoved his hands back, taking the book in my own.

_What the hell_?

"What other secrets do ya got?" He whispered, then turned on his heel and swaggered over to the bathroom. I glared after him, when Mikey walked over handing him a bottle of Clorox. Okay? Clorox?

Raph looked it over in his hand. "What's this for?"

"You're gonna need that, bro. You stink!" Mikey said, cheerfully, then ducking a smack from the hot head. Raph swore under his breath, slamming the door shut. Mikey glanced over at me and waved before heading over to Don's lab and disappearing inside.

There was advancement there in Mikey's case, but the heck was up with Raph? I thought on it for a second and then decided to drop it. Raph was obviously messing with me. Probably trying to make up for lost time.

I headed to the dojo. I needed to put some practice in. I took a couple breaths, getting my balance and control. I was just about to start when I felt movement behind me. I spun around to see Don there.

"Yes?"

"Oh…well..I was just…" Don looked like he was considering throwing up. I lowered my guard a little.

"What is it Don? Are you Ok.."I began when suddenly Don flat out threw a left hook at my chin. I jumped back surprised and he snagged on to my arm with both hands. I pulled free and to the side and the next thing Don knew he was lying on his back with a kukki wrist lock, my fingers curled his hand down to his wrist, gripping his elbow with my other hand.

"Shit shit shit shit." Don hissed at me through his teeth, his eyes closed in pain. I growled.

"Language!"

"I'm sorry..oh gah! Leo! You're breaking my wrist!"

I let him go, dropping his arm. He lay on the floor, sucking in air for a second.

"What the shell was that?" I demanded as he rubbed his wrist, tears in his eyes. "Well, I was just going to…uh..practice with you…" he said, awkwardly.

Right.

_Did he think I was born yesterday? _I was beginning to think that my brothers thought I had no intelligence what so ever.

I looked him over, my eyes narrowed. "Right…maybe you should warn me next time. I expect that stuff from Raph not you…" It felt like Don had being trying to throw me off guard for some reason...

He nodded, getting to his feet, backing away from me. "Well…I'll be going now…to study up…"He raced out of the dojo, holding his wrist.

I watched. I was pretty sure that Don had been up to something else and I gave my head a shake and made a mental note to add "how to escape wrist locks" into our training routines.

I wasn't sure what was going on, but if Don was that desperate to try and punch me…well..I better stay on my toes then and keep my guard up.


	47. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

A/N: These are my favorite scenes to write. I like writing action and romance, but I love humor….Mikey is so awesome…

**Michaelanglo's POV**

I could barely contain my laughter as Don came running out of the dojo, like a dog with his tail between his legs. But my laughter died quick as he came at me with murder in his eyes.

"Whoa…Donnie.."

"You were supposed to back me! You let me get my shell handed to me! You were supposed to grab him from the other side!" He hissed, smacking me on the shoulder with his good hand."

Okay…So I let him get his butt kick and I sort of watched…Okay, I totally watched….

I couldn't take any longer. I busted out laughing, hard. "Dude! You should have seen the look on your face when he grabbed you! I thought you were going to wet yourself!"

"Yeah, well I'm not so sure I didn't. He scared the crap out of me." Don grumbled, rubbing his wrist.

"I thought…well…"Don's dead." Best go tell, Raph. " I laughed. "Sorry, bro. But it serves ya right. You are supposed to wait for Raph." I pointed out. I could see through Don's little sneaky plan. He didn't want to let Raph in on this. Raph seemed to really get to Don.

"Ha! Raph! You don't get it! We're screwed now! Now, Leo knows something is up! That was our one chance to surprise him! he didn't think I would do something like that! Now...Gah! You should have just helped me!"

I gave Don a look like he was crazy, because I was pretty sure he was. "Hey. The last time we fought with Leo..we all got knocked down a notch. We are going to need Raph. You better not be trying to think of ways to get out of your deal with him."

Don glared. Okay, so he was. Big deal. I wasn't going to aid him. Raph was freakin nightmarish when he was pissed! And the fact that he hits hard, counts into that factor as well.

"Besides, I think you're going about it the wrong way, Donnie-boy. I think we need to lure Leo into the lab, instead of jumping him. Although…"

Don surveyed me over. "You have an idea?"

"Who? Mikey?" Raph's gruff voice cut in. We turned and he was standing there next us, dripping wet.

"You know, Raph, there is this invention for getting dry after showers. I believe it is called a towel." Don muttered.

Raph smirked. "Bite me, genius." They shared an evil look with each other and I figured I needed to break the tension.

I leaned over, acting like I was sniffing Raph and covered my nose, pretending to gag. "We got any Pine-sol?"

"Shuddup!" Raph smacked me. I smiled, rubbing my head. "I think we should sort of jump Leo, but to get him to the lab, we are gonna need some good old drama here."

Don gave me a disbelieving look and Raph looked like he didn't follow past the words, "jump Leo." His eyes got all glazed over and dilated. I rolled my eyes and lowered my voice to a whisper and they all leaned forward to hear me. Now we were in a huddle! This was so cool!

"Come on. Stay with me. Don…you stick with your part, but.."

"What is everyone whispering about?" Leo asked, suddenly to my right.

"We're making a plan to…Augrh!" I jumped back from him, my heart making all kinds of racket in my chest. Leo and his stealth. Even Raph and Don looked like they had lost their cool at Leo's sudden popping up next to us. I guess we were all a teensy-weensy out of practice. But heck, with Leo gone, we didn't have to worry about him sneaking up on us.

"Shit, Leo. Give us all a heart attack." Raph muttered.

"Language." Leo remarked, looking Raph up and down. "Did you even use soap?"

Raph gave Leo a very dark look and I was pretty sure I could interpret it to –how-about-you-come-with-me-and-find-out look. _Mayday! Mayday! We needed to think of a lie and fast!_

I had one on the tip of my tongue, but one look at Leo and all thoughts in my brain shut down.

"So what are you planning?" Leo asked, his eyes wandering over all of us, hands on his hips. Now of us answered right away. We were all kind of gaping at him.

Leo had a thin layer of sweat on his skin, which gleamed, making his skin look radiant. I almost had to shade my eyes with my hand to look at him. It ran down his chest, his arms…omigah…his legs..

"What? Am I getting the silent treatment again?" Leo sighed and I snapped my eyes back up towards his face.

_Shell! _I had forgotten how freakin hot Leo was in person! _Maybe we didn't need a plan..maybe we should go at him now.._I thought, dreamily.._No! Mikey! Resist!_

Don managed to speak up first, awaking the rest of us from our stupor. "It's nothing, Leo. We were going to throw you a "welcome back home" party. You know, with like Casey and April, but we know how you hate surprises."

I had to admit it. It was a pretty good. I was shocked to find that all Truthful Don had it in him. Leo's facial expressions relaxed a little at that, but he still seemed to sense a falsehood in Don's story.

"I don't need a party. No one needs to make a fuss over this." Leo said, slowly, eyeing us each in turn. Typical. Leo and his anti-Leo pledge. The guy needed to loosen up. Either that or a self-help book.

"Too bad we didn't ask you if you wanted it." I said to him and he gave me a look, and I realized that I wasn't supposed to be talking to him. Augh! Leo had that affect on me. I was getting all giddy and forgetful.

_Come on, Mikey! You are going to make him work for this! Remember!_ I yelled in my head. I crossed my arms and stuck my nose in the air at Leo, who heaved another sigh.

"Mike…"

"Drop it, Leo. The bathroom's free. So you go take your shower….Looks like ya need one…" Raph cut in…his voice sounded a little funny, however. We all turned to look at him.

Leo was now staring at him. "You okay?"

Raph nodded, "Heck ya. I'm peachy…." He didn't sound fine..his voice sounded deeper then usual. It sounded like…..My eyes about bugged out of my head with realization. Old Raphie was turned on! Holy cow!

Raph looked extremely uncomfortable, but that went with out being said. We were all having trouble. Leo gave us all one last look, before heading off in the direction of the bathroom.

Once the door was closed, we all let out the air we had been holding.

"Oh…fucking hot damn." Raph groaned. He looked a couple shades darker then usual.

I laughed. "That was close."

"You're telling me…I don't think I even remember what I said to him…." Don mentioned.

I smiled. I had missed this. I had actually missed this challenge. Leo always complained about how we never worked together and now…I let loose a snicker and earned another smack from Raph.

'Ow! You're going to give me brain damage!" I yelped.

"Too late." Don said, quietly. I wheeled on him. "And you! You lied! Right to Leo's face. I'm very impressed." I added, when Don looked like he might choke on his own spit.

Raph nodded. "That was a good one, Don. But we aren't outta the water yet. Leo is gonna figure it out. We need to get him in the lab and then into my room 'fore I go crazy."

"Ha! You wish, Raphie." I snorted and jumped behind Don to avoid getting another smack from Raph.

"Ha! You're slow.R-OW!" Don had hit me in the side of the head. "Cut it out. Tell us your idea. Gah. I can't believe I just said that. I'm asking Mikey to make the plan. We are so doom."

"You have so little faith, Don." I told him, before throwing my arms over both their shoulders and pulling them back into a huddle formation.

"Okay. This is what we should do…."


	48. Chapter 48

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Hey faithful readers, would you mind doing the poll on my profile page? I have some ideas, but quite frankly, I got too many for my own good…Would love your input! XD **

Raphael's POV

Yeah. This was just fan-fucking-tastic.

How the heck was I supposed to last a whole week with Leo every where I turn and now this? I wanted Leo all the time now. I didn't know how much more I could take. It was driving me nuts!

And the plan? Mikey was a regular dipshit!

Sure, his plan had some class. There were some parts that made my head swerve but, in the all, it wasn't going to be easy for me. Just seeing Leo there earlier all sweaty and I almost went bonkers on him.

I didn't trust myself. But the others knew I was on the edge, especially old Donnie. He was getting all speculating around me again. He seems to think he is Leo's own personal body guard. Whatever. The guy doesn't know shit from clay.

This was a challenge, alright, but it wasn't Mikey and Don that I was having trouble with. It was Leo. Leo seemed to be out to get me. Like he had made it an individual goal to hound me.

He was bothering me about what I eat, how I practice, how I smelled. What the fucking A? Didn't he have anything better to do with his time. If not…I could think of a few _things_. Damn how I wanted to do those _things_.

Mikey and Don thought it would be better if we waited a day before we went ahead with the plan. After all, Leo was kind of paranoid lately. He jumped at loud sounds and several times I caught him, staring at Don's security monitors. He just couldn't all together relax.

I wondered what the shell happened to him. He was way too uneasy. He needs to stop this mysterious shit and just come clean with us. But, every time I even hinted about the last eight weeks, he would clam up.

Fucktard.

When I awoke up the next morning, I was cranky. I had barely been able to sleep. Leo and his skin kept me up half the night. Yeah, that's right. Now I was having freaking dreams. As far as I was concern, Leo was going to totally deserve it when I snapped. He was too perfect for his own good.

As I came out for breakfast, Mikey and Don were there. Leo was already in the dojo, the freak.

Mikey and Don eyed me as I came over. "Ya look like crap." Mikey commented and I flipped him a stiff middle finger pointed skyward and poured a bowl of cereal for myself.

"We gonna do this or what?' I asked, quietly. I didn't want old-falcon-ears-Leo hearing. Don nodded.

"Leo has already called a training session for today. Don't lose hot head."

I finished my cereal, getting up. "Don't get your panties in a twist."

I dumped my bowl in the sink and headed into the dojo where Leo was mediating. I did not understand why he liked doing that. It looked as painful as shit. In so many ways. I sat down next to him and Mikey and Don took their spots.

I couldn't concentrate knowing what was to come. Mikey and Don seemed to be having the same problem. They kept shifting around in their cross-legged positions on the mat. Finally, Leo let out a loud breath that meant he had returned to our world again.

"Okay, guys." He opened his eyes, getting up and we followed in pursuit. "I think we should start with individual exercises and.."

"What is the point of that?" I snapped right on cue. Leo's eyes flew to my face, but I held my composure. "I ain't planning on attacking myself any time soon. Let's just spar and be the fuck down with this shit."

I lathered it up real good, trying to think of some more swear words that would tick Leo off. It worked like a charm. He turned towards me, his back straighter then a board. "How many times do I have to tell you about your language, Raph?"

"Raph has a point." Piped in Don as planned. Leo shot him down a cold look and Don gulped.

"Come on, Leo." Whined Mikey. "We haven't done sparring in ages! It will be fun!"

You could practically see the threads unraveling in Leo's body. I couldn't help but smile. He was getting pissed. "That's why we should take it slow. We.."

I cut him off, getting up to his face. "Why? Ya think, I couldn't take you?" Leo's eyes sparked and he was grinding his teeth looking at me. "Raph…that is not the point."He said, slowly, trying to keep it together.

I poked him in the chest with my finger. "Really? Because I think that's the whole point. Ya think you're so great! Well, I got news for ya.."

"FINE!" Leo yelled, startling me. I wasn't expecting that reaction. "If you guys want to spar and you think you know what is best, then do it. I'm doing solo exercises." He turned away from me and walked to the corner of the dojo.

I looked back at Don and Mikey who were waving silently at me. This wasn't how we planned it. A set back. I squared my shoulders, following Leo. Leo never did make anything easy.

"I ain't done.." Leo spun around so quick that I almost bumped into him.

"Yes. You. Are." He said, deadly. Damn. Leo was in a bad mood today. I mildly wondered what was up with him and then put it aside. Leo was getting too cocky for his own good. I was about to bring him down to my level. I felt a bit of heat rising up in my veins. The familiar feeling of anger.

"No. I ain't, ya prick. I'm tired of you telling me what to do." I snarled.

I saw Leo's shoulder muscle tighten and should have been ready for the punch, but for some reason, the thought didn't enter my brain quickly enough. He caught me in the jaw and I went down on my ass. I stared at him for a second and then all hell broke loose.

The next thing, I knew I was on top of him, trying to strangle him. We were rolling the hell every where, knocking over unlit candles, weights, dummies anything that was in our way. The whole while throwing punches and kicks and slamming each other around. Both Mikey and Don were trying to get us apart, but they couldn't seem to grip us without getting smacked.

"You smart-ass!" I yelled at Leo, giving him a punch. His head smacked back into the mats. But he recovered, flipping me off of him. I landed hard on my shell, rolling over to look at him.

"Admit it!" He cried out. "You wish I hadn't come back!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I argued getting to my feet and coming at him again. He braced himself, his eyes like steel on me; we toppled into the wall with him against it.

"You think you know everything! You fuck!" I bellowed at him, Mikey and Don grabbed my shoulders trying to pry me off of Leo, but I wasn't giving in now. I shoved them off.

"You go around with your head up your own ass! You are so clueless!" I was yelling.

"Raph!" Don screamed, suddenly. I tore my eyes away from Leo, to see him standing over Mikey, who held a hand over his thigh. He was bleeding.

Leo took in a breath, next to me, as I let him go. Shell. Had I done that? My anger deflated like a balloon. I rushed over to the orange wearing turtle.

"Shit, Mike. Are you okay?" I asked.

"Dandy." He replied, he looked up at my face and winked. For a second, I was confused, and then I recalled the plan. Crap. I had almost lost it! What was worse is that Mikey and Don didn't know it. They thought I had been in control. I took a breath..the plan...follow the plan...Damn. I couldn't believe how I let Leo do this stuff to me..

"Help me get him into the lab." Don was saying. Leo and I both lifted up Mikey, supporting him in between us. Mikey threw his arms around both our necks.

"Nothing like a fight to clear the air." He joked as we carried him. "I'm so sorry, Mikey." Leo was saying. "I shouldn't have blown up like I did."

"It's my fault." I told him. He gave me a sad look from over Mikey and I felt a little guiltier. We angled ourselves into the lab and set Mikey on the cot in Don's lab.

Leo peered at the cut. "It doesn't look deep. That's a lot of blood for a little cut like that."

"Is it? I'm not an expert on that." Mikey said, smiling. Leo rolled his eyes.

I licked my lips. "Hey, Leo. I am sorry, bro." Leo turned to me, his back to Mikey. Mikey gave me a nod from over Leo's shoulder. Don nodded from his position too. We were ready.

"Don't worry about it, Raph. You were right…" Leo never got to finish because Mikey jerked forward grabbing Leo from behind and yanking him backwards on to the cot. I dove forward as he did so throwing my weight on both of them.

"Ooof! Lay off the beer, Raph. " Mikey croaked, but I didn't have time to answer, I was trying to maintain a hold on Fearless.

"What the shell? Guys?" Leo's voice was high with surprise, trying to pull free. I grabbed his forearms, pressing down. Leo was trying to knee me in the gut, but all he could get was my inner thigh. Oh, fuckity-fuck! I grunted and tried to maneuver myself away from his knee. He clocked me on the side of head and I snatched his wrist and shoved into the mattress.

"Get off! What are you doing?" Leo was yelling, but we weren't answering. We were just holding on for dear life. Leo was kicking and squirming every where. It was a turn on….damn…

"Don! Hurry the fuck up!" I yelled, trying to keep Leo pinned. Leo's eyes shot to Donnie, who looked rather eerie, holding up a syringe and taping the side of it.

"Don.." Leo breathed his words, hot against my mouth. I suddenly became hypersensitive to the fact that his face was pressed to mine. Damn. I was getting aroused.

"I swear, Don if you…" Leo was saying as my own eyes did a quick scan of him, Mikey reached up grabbing his bandana tails, just in case, he decided on head-butting Donnie, who was trying to get a hand on Leo's arm. Leo let out a wordless cry of frustration, his head back, showing me a whole lot of neck. It was all I could do not to sink my teeth into it. I closed my eyes, to calm the hell down and when I opened them, I caught a sight of Mikey grinning at me over Leo's shoulder.

Assflap.

"No!" Leo yelled and I turned my head in time to see Don pushing the tip of the needle into Leo's taunt wrist, his fingers flexing.

"Sorry." Don said, softly. I felt Leo going slump, my heart racing as I slowly loosen my grip.

Huge mistake.

Leo kicked out and I was on the floor, now on my ass for the second time that hour. Leo was up on his feet, he had Don by the front his chest, shoving him into the wall.

"Don! How could you…why…you.." The words were coming out in a slur. Leo gave his head a shake, releasing his hold on Don and staggering, I got to my feet, catching him by shoulders as he stumbled forward. He shoved me off, but I growled and grabbed him spinning him towards me, pulling him close.

He looked at me, his eyes unfocused. He wasn't all there, but I didn't care. He was breathing softly. His skin felt cool and smooth in my hands. All I could feel was the tension running through my whole body. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to let it out. I gripped his jaw with my hands and smashed his mouth to mine.

I heard Mikey whisper, "Damn" and Don gave a strangled gasp, but I didn't give a flying fuck. I had Leo. That was I needed. It was what I had always needed. I ran my tongue over his lips and into his mouth, tasting him. Another ripple of heat struck me as he fell to his knees, me bending at the waist to keep his mouth to mine. My tongue flew over his, pressing and he gave a soft moan. I thought I was going have to take him right then and there. I shuddered, withdrawing, breathing hard like I had just run three miles. His eyes were closed and he was completely out of it now, limp in my hands.

"Raph, you asshole." Don said, making me jerk a little. I had forgotten my audience. I shot him a wicked smile, but to my surprise he didn't go berserk on me, just glared. Interesting...

It is hot in here?" Mikey cracked, suddenly. He was grinning at me. "Because that was the sexiest thing I have ever seen!"

'Yeah, yeah." Don muttered, coming over to me and pulling Leo to his feet. We dragged him to the cot where Mikey waited, pulling Leo onto it.

"Oh, come on, Don. You know you were turned on by it." Mikey teased and Don's face flushed red. "I was not! Now, help me. He won't be out forever. If you're lucky he might not even have a clue of what you did." He said to me. I chuckled as Don handed me the restraints.

"I don't care if he does or doesn't not. I'm playing for keeps."

"No kidding." Mikey laughed, putting a band-aid on his leg in the corner as we strapped Leo down. "When you guys started fighting earlier I thought you were going to end up raping him or something."

"Cripes." Don breathed, throwing Mikey a disapproving look. "You were so in gross in it that I thought you were going to forget to cut yourself. Gah. I can't believe this plan worked. This is crazy. leo is going to kill us when he wakes up!"

Mikey stood, smiling wide. "Aw. You're so cute, Don. You're welcome. Now. Examine away. Remember. We are watching."

Don gave a frown. "Hell, I know. Now, hands off Leo while I do this. That is the rule!" He eyed us both.

I gave him a huge grin. "I'm good."

Mikey took a seat. "Me, too."

Don nodded. "okay…here we go…"


	49. Chapter 49

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: And you thought things were complicated before? **

**Donatello's POV**

I kept staring at the full body x-rays that I had done. Everything seemed normal, but something looked out of place. I couldn't quite describe it. I was still waiting for the lab reports to finish running on my pc, but quite frankly, I wasn't the best at this stuff. I had to go based off what I read in books.

Something didn't look right.

"Come on, Don. Ya keep staring at those, you'll go blind." Raph told me. But I couldn't help it. What was I missing? What was really bothering me was the fact that Leo hadn't waken up yet. He should have been up hours again. I had only given him a small dose.

Was the drug reacting with another? I kept a close eye on the monitors. Leo had very low pulse and a slow heart rate. It was scaring the crap out of me.

Mikey and Raph seemed to sense my fear, but kept silent, thankfully. They sat in the corner staring at Leo, with identical expressions, like –what-the-shell-have-I-done?

I knew I was wearing this look too. This had to be why Leo didn't want us to touch him..no..I wouldn't have used a sedative if he had cooperated. What the shell was going on?

"Donnie!" Mikey called out, breaking through my thoughts. "He is waking up!"

Finally! I turned, feeling weak at the knees as Leo's eyes opened, coming into focus on us. He paused, taking in his surrounds, slowly, his expression faded into a frown.

"I'm strapped down." He seemed to say this to no one in particular. "Er…yes…" He looked at me. "You know, I don't like that…."

"Yeah, well, you should have told us that you were sick." I replied, confusion passed over his face. "Sick? I'm not sick…" he glanced at his burn that I taken a sample from and bandage.

I could tell when the reality struck home. He suddenly yanked, pulling on his restraints. "No…You weren't….Let me up!" He sounded, frantic. The note of hysteria echoing in the lab.

"Leo…" I began, but he gave me an icy look. One that seem to shot me right in the gut, like a sucker punch.

"You drugged and tied me up! What? So you can play doctor?" His words stun, but I did deserve them. However, I gave him a look. He wasn't going to pick a fight with me.

"Leo you were out for 5 hours! You had some unidentified agent in your blood stream. Where they poisoning you?"

Leo gave me a hard look. One that said quite plainly that he was not going to answer me. I found myself growing irritated. Why couldn't he just tell us? If the tables were turn, he wouldn't have been as patient with any of us as we had been with him.

"Leo." Raph cut in, growling. "You better fucking tell Donnie everything."

"I will not." Leo retorted, pulling on the restraint, testing its limits.

"Leo, we're trying to help, bro." Mikey added his eyes big and pleading.

"I don't need help. I need to go train." Leo snapped. Raph stood up, grabbing Leo by his shoulder strap. He pulled Leo up as far as the restraints would allow.

"You're really pissing me off, Splinter Junior!"

"Don't touch me, Raph." Leo said it with such venom that I briefly wondered if Leo did remember Raph kissing him. I could tell by Raph's hesitation that he was thinking along the same lines.

For a moment, they stayed like that glaring at each other. Mikey and I shifted uneasy in the silence, and then Raph shoved Leo down and turned to me. "Come on."

I blinked, perplexed. "What?"

"Dojo. Now." I started to follow, but Leo spoke up. "Wait a minute! Untie me!"

I paused reaching for the restraints, but Raph caught me by the wrist. "No. He can stay here." He said, pulling me out the lab door despite my objections. He was too strong.

"RAPH!" Leo yelled after us as Mikey scurried out. "Dudes. We are beyond dead now. I mean he is going to go postal! We will have to sleep with our weapons!"

Raph spun around to both of us. "This shit stops right now. He isn't doing this anymore. If he doesn't give a fuck about himself fine, but I do and I know you guys too. And if that means we got to keep him tied up to keep him safe, then I can deal with that."

I swallowed. "Raph, we can't keep him…" Raph jabbed me in the chest. "Yes, we can. Leo is going to learn a lesson."

"What? Is this foreplay for ya, Raph? Ya into bondage?" Mikey wanted to know, looking Raph up and down. The hot head bared his teeth, not in the mood for jokes. Mikey shrunk back.

"I'm serious. If Leo doesn't want to talk then Don you're gonna find out what the hell is wrong with him." Raph snapped at me and I nodded. I was so surprised about how Raph was taking control over this, that I almost forgot what I was agreeing to.

"Wait. You know, Leo. He is not going to given in. We can't keep him chained up for days while I run tests." Quite frankly, though to be honest, having Leo tied up in my lab would be an improvement for me. And that is just saying about the atmosphere.

"You try talking to him." Raph grumbled. "He keeps pissing me off and I will fuck his brains out."

My eyes popped open wider. "Raph…please…stop. Saying that stuff…" I moaned at him. He smirked. "Whatever ya do, Don. Do. Not. Let. Him. Out. Not until he talks. Got it, Genuis?" Not waiting for an answer he turned to Mikey. 'Come on, we got things ta do."

"um..we do?" Mikey said and yelped when Raph swatted him on the top of the head.

"Shit! Did I gotta spell it out?" Raph growled at him.

"Okay, okay. Jeez." He muttered. I looked back at the lab and sighed. This was not going to be pretty. But, I did understand what Raph was saying. Amazingly enough, Raph was proving once again that he did want to take of Leo as much as I did. I sighed again. Guess I really did have Raph figured wrong.

I entered the lab and Leo looked at me.

"uh..hi?" I said and he shot me daggers with his eyes. Right then. Cripes. "So Leo.."

"Are you seriously going to leave me like this, Don?" Leo asked, quietly. I gulped. If looks could kill…

"Well, we think it is for your own good.." I tried to reason, but Leo cut me off.

"Really? My own good? Funny, I thought I was the judge of that."

I felt a wave of anger press against me. "Leo, if you weren't so stubborn and just told me what was wrong then we could go on with life!" I snapped.

"No, you guys are so untrusting.." Leo began, but I stomped over to him. "Look who's talking, hypocrite!" I shot. "You come here, burned up..missing for eight weeks! You don't tell us what is going on. You're paranoid all the time and on top of that…You're…so….CLUELESS!" I spun around stomping back to my computer, face flushed in rage.

"Why on earth does everyone keep saying that to me?" Leo asked, out loud. He sounded exasperated

"I knew there was something going on before all this happened, but now it seems it is still happening. You guys, keep tip-toeing around me. What are you hiding? Did I forget to do something? Is that why everyone is so hateful towards me?"

_**Hateful?**_

I was back over to him in two seconds flat, my nose to his. "Are you nuts? Is that what you think? And all this time? We all care about you! You're the only one who doesn't? Damn it, Leo! Is it not going to ever be enough for you? Not until we lose you? For real? Didn't you hear anything we have been saying? What about Mikey? What about Raph? What about me? You ever think how I feel about all this?"

I was completely ranting and pacing now. It was like all the stress from the last months came jetting out of me. How could I make Leo understand? How could he be so blind?

Leo stared at me, his expression unreadable. It was his "stone face." I hated that face! I hated how he could seem to resist emotions! I hated that he was resisting them now!

I felt tears on my face as I slumped into my computer chair, my back to Leo. Gah, I loved him. I loved him so much, but he almost seems incapable of ever returning that love back. How could he hate himself so much? Why is it that he never seen what we saw? Was it something we had done to him? Did we count on him so much that now he lost hope of being nothing more then just Leo-the-leader? Did he really expect us not to care about him? Did he think that we didn't?

"Hey." Leo said, softly behind me. I ignored him, keeping my eyes glued, unseeingly to the computer screen. The words and charts were all blurry anyways.

"I'm sorry, Don. It's just…I don't like it when you guys act…I mean it is not a big deal…really?"

My fists tighten in my lap and I smashed my teeth together, listening. _Not a big deal?_

That was the understatement of the year.

"Look…the fact is…I did some things…some things that I rather not everyone know." Leo went on. I paused in my mental rant. Was he going to tell me? After all this time. I didn't dare turn around. I was afraid that if I, that I might startle him to bring up his walls again. I waited.

"You have to understand…I couldn't give it to them…I couldn't…but I couldn't risk you guys either. They hurt Mikey, bad. I decided then that I didn't care…maybe it was revenge…I don't know.."

Leo's voice sounded so full of pain and pleading that it was becoming murder not to run over and comfort him, but I held fast, letting him speak.

"But…they..did do something..to me..to make me listen.." Leo went on his voice reaching a higher octave in the memory of it. "It hurt…I'm not really sure even what it was. Phoenix seemed to be able to control it…it felt like an electro shock."

I spun around in my chair. "They were electrocuting you?" My voice rang out, my anger chiming through crystal clear. Leo wasn't looking at me, he was facing the wall. " I don't know…I don't know what is real anymore. It sounds crazy right. I never..I mean..I was drugged a lot…"

I got up, going over to him. "Leo. Is that what the burn is from?" I asked him. He shook his head, as I peered down on him, eyes on the wall instead of me. "That was from the formula…Bishop made some highly unstable formula for war…that's what they wanted me to steal…"

I gasped. 'Is that an acid burn?" He shook his head again. I sat down on the cot next to him, hoping he would just answer. He took a shaky breath. "Don…I used the formula on them…" He turned towards me, tears in his eyes. He looked completely inconsolable. "Once, I got it, Bishop caught me. We made a deal. He gave me some of the formula and I threaten Phoenix with it. He let Mikey go…but…I knew…they would still kill us…so..I.." He trailed off and I embraced him, burying my face into his neck, breathing in his scent like I have always wanted to do.

"Its okay, Leo. You did the right thing." I murmured against his skin. "Why didn't you just tell us?"

"What? Am I just supposed to come in and go "oh, by the way..I am a mass murderer and blew up a nice big section of Arizona?" Leo shifted in my arms, awkwardly. I smiled a little at that. Leo who faced all kinds of danger felt weirded out by a hug. It was ironic.

I sat back, smiling at him. "Leo, you did the best you could with what you had. That's why I love you." The words hung in the air. Oh shit! I thought my heart dropping. Did I just say that out loud?

Leo seemed to barely notice. "You are crazy to love me. I'm not perfect." Whew. It went over his head. I took the restraints in my hands, his eyes flickering to my face finally. "Why do you need to be perfect?" I asked, undoing them. When I finished, I looked back down at his face. Gah. He looked so cute, laying there with un-cried tears in his beautiful eyes. He's skin looked just gorgeous in the lab light. Why didn't he see what I could?

He shook his head as if he didn't know the answer, but I knew he did. He had to be perfect because he was afraid. He was afraid of losing control. He was afraid of losing us. He was afraid of losing everything.

I leaned forward, boldly as I could before I could talk myself out of it and gave him a smooth kiss on the forehead and pulled back. He was staring at me. I shrugged, trying hard not to blush.

"That's for not being perfect."

I got up, gripping the restraints on his ankle, hoping he couldn't hear the pounding of heart in my chest. I was losing my mind, but what was wrong if I wanted him?

"Don…" Leo began. I looked up at him, pulling the restraints free from him. Leo licked his lips and then shook his head. "Never mind."

I smiled at him. "Now, just because I am letting you, doesn't mean you get to leave. I still want to run some tests. Okay?" I told him sternly as he sat up. He nodded.

My smile grew broader yet, treasuring the time I had with him alone.

"Now, let's start at the beginning…"


	50. Chapter 50

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: The heat is about to turn up….**

**Leonardo's POV**

I am thankful for my brothers. I knew this with all my soul. I told myself as I was mediating. But for some reason, I was feeling a tiny bit..frustrated. Perhaps it was because of a certain younger turtle that had refused to talk to me for the last five days, was now shadowing my every move.

Call me crazy, I think that just might be it. Mikey was back to most of his old antics, except he still wasn't really talking to me, if felt more like stalking. Like he was all about making sure I stayed put.

When ever I tried to ask him, why he would simply throw his head back nose in the air and refuse to say a word. Just when I thought he couldn't get anymore annoying. It was plain childish, like he was five years old!

So now I was trying to keep up my training, while accepting Mikey's constant presence. It wasn't easy, while he wasn't speaking, he still wasn't silent. He laughed, burped, hummed, whistled…Shell! He was driving me crazy!

My other brothers were no help to the cause; Don was locked up in his lab, pouring over my test results. I didn't feel sick, but I did know something wasn't right either. So I left it to Don, grateful for him. Quiet Don. He seemed to be the only one who would just let a turtle speak and listen. I admired his patience. Something I could really lack, especially with Raph.

Raph was always located at his punching bag, lately. The hot head. He was still pissed that I had told Don and not him. I was honestly, avoiding him anyways. He didn't do anything. It was just that I had this insane dream about him. One that left me utterly freaked out.

I figured the stress had finally fried my brain. I took a deep breath, trying to push out all my troubles. I needed to keep it clear to mediate. Just as I was getting to the realm of peacefulness I felt something warm lay on my right thigh. I opened one eye.

Mikey was on his side, resting his head on my thigh. When he noticed my eye piercing him, he rolled on his back so he was facing me and gave me a huge grin.

Shell! I quickly closed my eye, willing myself to ignore him and the fact that he was driving me up the wall. Why was he doing this? I wondered. Was he trying to get back at for breaking my promise? Who was I kidding? Of course, he was!

I felt something lightly tracing on my hand, moving up my wrist and forearm. It was soft and a little wet. _What the shell was that now?_

I shut my eyes tighter, not wanting to give Mikey the satisfaction of opening them, my shoulders hunching up to my ears.

_Ignore! Ignore! Stay Focus! _I mentally chanted as whatever it was ran up my arm to my collar bone. It tickled as it came up my neck, stopping at my chin, but I was determined to have no reaction. I could outwit Mikey at this.

I heard Mikey give a small noise that sounded something like a "heh." And then he got up. I waited a few seconds, before cracking one of my eyes open. He was gone. I sighed and glanced at my hand and almost felt my blood pressure shoot to the heavens.

He had written all over me with what looked like a friggin marker! There were black stars and words on my hand, "Mikey is da bomb."

I was on my feet, flying out of the dojo, searching for the youngest turtle. Raph paused at his bag; his eyes lingered on my right side. "What happened to you?"

I didn't reply for I had spotted Mikey on the couch, a comic book hiding his face. I could tell by his shaking shoulders that he was laughing. My fists curled and then I relaxed. I was pissed, but at the same time relieved. Mikey was getting back to normal. I rather I had this, instead of the sulking Mikey from earlier in the week.

I took a drag of air and marched off, pointy ignoring Mikey, heading into the bathroom. However, when I got a look at myself, I reconsidered my tolerance. Mikey hadn't stopped at my hand.

There was "Turtle Titan rules" on my elbow and tick tac toe on my forearm. There was a "Property of Mikey "on my bicep. He had drawn rainbows on my shoulders and even what looked like a treasure map on my neck. There was an "X" on my pulse line followed by an arrow and the words, "Mikey was here."

Suddenly kicking the shell out of Mikey seemed very desirable indeed. I forced myself to take a rag and some soap, thinking up as many torturous training exercises that Mikey would be doing, while scrubbing at my neck.

It wasn't coming off. I stared, horrified at the black drawings on my skin. He had used permanent marker! I scrubbed harder, in panic, figuring that I was going to have do anything short of cutting my skin off.

"Wow. He got you good." Raph said, smiling, leaning against the door frame of the bathroom. He was gloating. I poured more soap on my rag, when Raph caught my hand. I looked at him, trying to pull it away.

"Shit, Leo. Let me help you." He snapped, taking the rag for me. I felt uncomfortable as he pressed the rag to my neck, rubbing. I kept my gaze on the ceiling. Well, if this wasn't embarrassing then I didn't know what counted.

He chuckled. "So, how did this happen?"

"I was trying to mediate.." I began, as Raph took a hold of my chin, forcing my head back. Now I really was staring at the ceiling.

"Ya shouldn't sleep out in the open." He said. I frowned. "Mediating isn't sleeping!"

"I don't think this is going to come off." He replied, running the rag over my shoulder.

"No! We just need stronger soap! Maybe dish soap…" I began, uptight. I could not go around branded like this. That was not an option at all. It had to come off!

"Get if off!' I wailed, rubbing at my wrist. "Maybe laundry detergent!"

I was going to kill Mikey!

"Maybe.." Raph said, quietly. He had stopping rubbing; his hand was just pressed to my collar bone. I brought my head forward, meeting his eyes. He was practically leaning up against me. I could feel the heat from his body.

I didn't like the way he was looking at me. In fact, it was making me a little bit anxious to get away from him. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but…it didn't look good.

"Leo…" Don stuck his head in the door way. He froze, his eyes drifting between us. Then it focused on the ink markings. His mouth dropped open and he…laughed!

I growled as he doubled over. "I'm sorry." He wheezed, "But, it is the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. How did you even get in that state? Never mind. Come on." He reached forward, taking me by the arm. "I got some stuff that might take that off. What a clown."

"Things are back to normal, right." Don said to me, pulling me along. He seemed way too happy about me becoming a piece of art work for Mikey, but it was good to see Don laughing again.

I glanced back at Raph over my shoulder; he still had the rag in his hand, watching me. I shuddered. Something was wrong with him. I turned back and caught sight of Mikey, hovering by the lab door. I made a move towards him and he screamed, running across the lair.

"Yeah…pretty much back to normal..."


	51. Chapter 51

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Short one, but needed. **

**Michaelanglo's POV**

I loved this. I loved us all being here. I loved us working together. I loved the way it felt. But, most of all, I loved the fact that Leo couldn't get all of my drawings off. It is true that when I saw him coming out of Don's lab with it still on, I did become a little concern for my life. But, all in all, Leo took it rather well.

Okay, I was doing training exercises until my shell hurt, but they were with Leo. So they were still worth it. Am I right? Even if he was pummeling me to an early grave…..I could totally live with it….who was I kidding? He was going to kill me! My muscles hurt so badly and my bruises had bruises!

Note to self: Mess with Raph, next time. He doesn't have the patience that Leo has. He hits you once and that's it. Leo….I shivered. He had the makings of a super villain.

Take last night for instance, after two days of intense beatings, I tried to jump ship. Who can blame me? I figured, I'd sneak out extra early and hide out until later that evening to give my broken body a chance to live another day. However, when I stepped into hallway to check if the coast was clear, Leo was standing, up against the wall. WAITING!

He wasn't normal! He totally knew what I was going to do! How the shell did he know? He is soooooooooooo….hot…Yeah, I admit. I kind of like him stalking me. But only a little. He had been standing there, looking all buff, giving me that "gotcha" look.

I was render helpless, just by that alone. Leo is just so cool. I didn't realize it until too late that I had followed him down to the dojo, staring at his…well, to make a long story short. Help me.

On top of all that, Don gave me dishes duty for a week. Now, that is hardcore right there. I sighed, washing a cup, while the others were out doing their usual business. Don in his lab. Leo, practicing. Raph, actually I didn't know where he was. I figured he was hunkered down in his room.

You know, this challenge has been totally been insane to start with, but now. It was fun. Hell, I was okay with either Raph or Don having Leo. Not that I wasn't going for the first go, but why couldn't we just….you know…_share._

Damn, that thought alone sends a hot flash through me ever time. I giggled a little. That would be perfect. I think I would be in heaven..

"What's so funny?" I jumped about a mile, before realizing it was just Raph. I figured it had been Sergeant Leo back for more pain.

"I was….just thinking.." I said, turning back to the sink. He opened the fridge and stared inside for a long time, hoping the beer fairies had came, would be my guess. But since they had not, Raph pulled out a can of root beer and gave it a longing look before popping it open.

"What about?" He asked, taking a swig.

"About us having a foursome with Leo." I answer and Raph choked. Root beer sprayed out all over the place, nailing my dishes.

"HEY! I just cleaned those!" I yelled, throwing my rag into the sink, defeated. Raph coughed a little before he was able to truly breathe. He put a hand to his forehead.

"Shit! You sit around thinking about that crap? Fucking A, Mikey!" He gasped. I raised my eyelids every so slightly. What? Was he saying he never did? I was pretty sure I was not the only one who wanted to jump Leo.

"Why not? I mean, we all like him and we all don't want to be alone." I pointed out, leaning against the counter. Raph was shaking his head as if he was trying to block out my words.

"This is too much." He was saying as Don came in, heading for the coffee pot. The dude was a true addict.

"Don. Mikey wants to have sex with Leo and you." Raph called out mildly to the purple wearing turtle, who in turn missed his mug while pouring, getting it all over his hand instead.

"YOW!" He raced over to the sink, sticking his hand under the faucet. He waited a full minute and then shook his hand to get the water off. I shot Raph a dirty look during this.

"I'm sorry, but I could have sworn…" Don began eyes on me.

I threw my hands up. "Really? What's the big deal here? I didn't say that I wanted everyone, I was just pointing out that it would be easy. You dudes need to take some chill pills."

"E-asy?" Don sputtered looking at me like I had grown a third eye. I rolled my eyes. "Okay, Forget I said anything."

Don glanced at my dishes, the ones that were streaked with root beer. "You do know that you're supposed to use clean water, right?" He asked.

I could have smacked him; instead I just retreated from the kitchen. "I ain't cleaning those again."

Geez, they blew everything out of whack. It was just a thought. They acted like I had committed rape! I slumped on to the sofa. They could deny it all they want, but it _had_ to have crossed their minds too.

"You okay?" I looked up to see Leo standing behind me, looking over the top of the couch. Like I could tell him. I sighed, looking down.

"Yeah. Perfect."

Leo came around the couch and sat down next to me. "You wanna talk?"

I shook my head. That was not going to get me any where. What could I say? Hey, Leo. We are all madly in love with you, but my brothers think I have no chance….

"Mikey, do you want to play a game or something?" Leo went on. He was really trying to cheer me up. It wasn't his fault that he was dense as a door knob. Heck, it was rare for Leo to leave his training to make one of us happy. I smiled a little. It had been a long time since we had done anything besides train together.

Hmmm…"If you don't cry when you lose." I said to him.

Leo tilted his head at me and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Ladies first."

"Oh, trying to be cute." I laughed, hooking up the game console and looking through the games.

"I don't have to try." Leo replied, selecting a remote. I laughed a little at that secretly. He had that right. Damn, I wish there was a way I could just find out if he would ever consider one of us as a mate without letting on….

I paused as I was putting the game in. Maybe there was a way. Maybe I could figure this out. I flipped on the television and sat down. All it would take was a little bit of detective work! I could so do this! How hard could it be, right? People all across the world were trying to find out if their crush liked them.

I smiled. Watch out, bros. Mikey was in the house!


	52. Chapter 52

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…or street fighter either.

**A/N: A tough chapter...golly...**

**Raphael's POV**

Okay, So Mikey the whackbag has been sitting around and thinking about that shit?

Holy fuck! The thought hadn't really entered my mind. I mean, I was still getting used to the idea of Leo…Heck…this was nuts. It would be Mikey who would wanna take things to the freakin extreme. The goofball. He never knows when to quit!

But now that he said it…I have to admit….it didn't sound like a complete bad idea. Although the thought of sharing Leo to start with was not in my game plan. No. He would be utterly mine before I went to that step._ If_ I went to that step….

Plus, I had to make sure the others knew who was in charge, especially Leo himself. That thought alone could do a lot to me. Leo obeying my every _command._ Shit, yeah. I shuddered and then thought some more on what Mikey had said. I try to imagine Leo agreeing to the foursome.

Yeah. When pigs fucking take flight.

I gave my head a shake and headed out of kitchen. Leo was sitting on the couch with Mikey, playing a video game. My hand tightens on my can of root beer at the sight of him. Shit. Now what was Mikey up to? It was unusually to see Leo out of the dojo lately. The guy was a war monster. All he ever did was freakin practice.

I would have left, except for the way they were leaned forward on the couch and eyes glued to the screen made me wondered. Normally, Mikey spent most of his game time taunting the other player. They both were completely silent. Call me crazy, but that was unreal. Mikey shutting up, that is. And then there was Leo…That was interesting.

I came over and was surprised to see the serious expressions on both their faces. They were playing an old school Street Fighter game and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Mikey was losing.

His character was dancing around the screen as it normally would on the mats with the real Leo. He had about one hit to go and he would be done. I glanced at Leo, a hint of surprise. He had his eyes locked on the T.V set and was making his character do moves that I barely ever got to do when playing Mikey. His fingers were like lightning over the control.

Mikey was rising to his feet, frustration showing up on his face as he was getting even more sucked into the game, trying to dodge Leo and land a blow. Only the intense clicking of the remotes could be heard.

Don came beside me, sipping his coffee and watching the action. I leaned over to him, "Betcha ten bucks Leo wipes the floor with Mikey."

He looked at me, "Mikey plays this game at least a thousand times a day, Raph. There is no way."

"Then deal?" I pressed as Mikey finally landed a blow on Leo's character. I sucked in air as Leo went down to half life. Damnit!

"Ha!" Mikey laughed a little.

Don smirked at me, confidently. "You're on."

Now Leo was on his feet, moving closer to the T.V. set. Mikey was clicking like wild, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

"Come on, Leo." I said, eyes locked on the screen.

"Ain't going to happen! I'm the champion there is no…."Mikey started, when Leo nailed him. Don's mouth fell open next to me as we watched Mikey's character hit the ground in slow mod.

"No…." Mikey whispered, sitting heavily on the couch. He looked like he might have gone into sudden

shock. "That is not possible."

"Better luck next time." Leo said, setting down the remote, stretching. Don and I watched him for a second and then, he headed off in the direction of the kitchen. I gave myself a shake, hoping I can stay in reality (but not totally caring if I didn't) and turned to Donnie.

"Ya owe me ten bucks, Brainiac." I gave him a sneer as he stepped back…"Right…I'll go get it…" He dashed off before I could realize I was being stiffed. The lab door snapped shut.

"Ya gotta come out some time..." I yelled before recalling the lab was sound proof. I gave the door a punch for the hell of it and headed back to Mikey, who was sitting there. I sat down next to him, thinking ugly thoughts about our genius brother. Little fucking sneak. I was gonna pound him good when I got my hands on him.

"I can't believe it." Mikey said outloud.

I rolled my eyes. "Mikey. Get over it already. Ya got your butt whooped. How is that different from any other day?"

Mikey glared at me. "You don't get it. He said he didn't know how to play. I taught him all my moves and he stole my character! He played me! Leo set me up! And what is worst is we made a bet before we started! Oh MY GOD! What have I done!

Okay, I wasn't expecting all that shit. But I had to admire Leo's underhandedness. He knew how to flip things to his benefit alright. Damn he was sexy…I swallowed as Mikey put his face in his hands, moaning. He was acting like he had been told the end of the world was tomorrow. Sheesh.

"Okay. I'll bite. What didja bet?"

He looked at me. "Raph. It's awful. I don't know if I can take this! I can't do it!"

He was starting to freak me out now. He was back up pacing in front of the television, waving his hands around like a lunatic. I waited for him to continue, but so far no good. He just kept going, muttering to himself. What the hell was with him? He was driving me nuts!

"WHAT IS IT?" I barked and he jumped, his eyes going back to me. He took a deep breath and squeaked out.

"My comic book collection. I have to give it to him for a week! What am I going to do?" He began to wail.

I stared at him for a complete moment. I couldn't even think of words to say to that. I was pretty sure there weren't any. Not for something so stupid. So I smacked him on the shoulder. That normally made me feel better for having to put up with him.

"Ouch! What the shell was that for?" He wanted to know, pouting and rubbing his arm.

"For the obvious." I muttered, getting to my feet. "Splinter must have dropped ya on your head." I added, looking my little brother up and down.

"Hey." Mikey whined at me. I shook my head, going towards the kitchen to see what Leo was up to when Mikey caught my elbow.

"Raph." He said, dropping his voice. "I just had the most amazing idea."

Shit. Not another one of those.

"Fascinating." I replied, pulling my arm free of his hand and downing the last bit of my soda. I headed for the kitchen with Mikey in tow.

"Wait! Don't you want to hear it?"

"Not really."

I came into the kitchen. Leo was standing with fresh cup of streaming tea in his hands. I made a face. Nasty shit. I couldn't get why he drank that crap. It was like freakin medicine. Horrible taste and smell. Splinter had brainwashed him early on that. Now he actually thinks he likes it. Poor bastard.

I shuddered, tossing my can in the garbage and thought mildly of how I wouldn't drink that shit if my life depended on it and Mikey kept elbowing trying to get my attention.

"Raph…" Mikey was hissing at me, eyes going to Leo. The leader regarded us over his tea cup. It wasn't hard to guess what he was thinking, after all Mikey ain't quiet.

"Now what?" He asked me.

I shrugged at him, looking him up and down for a moment before taking the counter opposite of him. Mikey was shifting from one foot to the other like he might self combust. I ignored him, my eyes lingering on Leo instead, who was watching me in turn trying to figure out what the big mystery was.

Since he had gotten nada from me, Fearless switched gears and started at Mikey, setting his tea down. "What is it?" He repeated.

"Oh…nothing…I was just…I mean…Raph was…" Mikey was stuttering like crazy. I was started to wonder if I should just let him tell me what ever was on his mind, except I was worried that it might be more foursome ideas, when Don came in the kitchen.

My first thought was of kicking his ass and getting my cash until I saw the dreadful look on his face. He looked like he was about to piss himself. He was pale and was wringing his hands nervously. I stared at him as he licked his lips.

"Guys….we gotta talk." He said, slowly staring hard at Leo.

"Okay." He said, quietly, pushing himself away from the counter. I glanced at him and noticed that for some reason, Leo had his "fearless" face on. I looked back at Donnie. "Is there something going on?"

"You have to see it…" Don said after taking a deep breath. We followed him into the lab. Mikey and Leo sat on the cot and I stood leaning against the door frame. As Don stood by his computer I momentarily thought that he was going to show Leo his porn pictures of him and confess his love, instead he brought up some x-rays and reports on the screen.

We waited but He didn't say anything right away. I glanced at Leo, who was staring at the floor and Mikey looked as confused as I felt. So I decided to start whatever Don was having trouble starting.

"Okay, genius. Now that we are all crammed in here. What's on ya mind?"

'Well, I have been studying my exams from Leo. And…I don't.. I am not an expert on this stuff. I could be making a mistake….But there is huge amounts of radiation.."

We are stared at him blankly, except for Leo who was still very interested with the floor. "And that means…"

"Leo…" Don said, quietly. "Is it…."

Leo nodded, still fixated on the lab floor. He had a guilty look on his face. When he had nodded, Don gasped, sitting heavily in his chair.

"Would someone please speak English!" I snapped, not liking being out of the loop. What was this secret Don and Leo talk? We were here too!

Don looked up at me abruptly and I was shocked to find un-cried tears in his eyes. I felt a trickle of fear on my part. I wasn't sure what was going on, but it wasn't good. I could at least pick that much up. I heard Mikey take a gulp of air next to me, equally worried. Don took a shaky breath, before speaking.

"Leo is dying."


	53. Chapter 53

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Before ya freak out at me, I do want to let you know that I haven't lost my marbles…..I found them under the sofa….XD **

**Donatello's POV**

He knew. I think that is what struck me the hardest. The fact that my brother, my leader…MY LEO knew he was dying! What the shell was that about? Was he insane? I could barely take my eyes off of him, even with all the tears blocking my vision. He knew…

"What? What the fuck are ya talking about?" Raphael wanted to know after a moment of stunned silence. His golden eyes darted back from Leo to me, dangerously. Any second and he would explode. Mikey sat next to Leo, his mouth gaping open, staring at the oldest.

"D-dying…." His voice was no higher than a whisper. His blue eyes were wide, emotions flooding them. He reached out, taking Leo's hand in his own. "Leo…" He began and then just swallowed. I understood how he felt. I could barely decide what to say at first too.

"What happened to you?" I gasped out, trying to hold back the sobs in my own throat. He knew all this time. Why didn't he say anything! Leo was gazing at the floor, I saw him swallow and watched him blink.

"**WILL SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?"** Raphael was shouting, hands at his sides in fists. His face was starting to match his mask and his eyes looked even brighter. He looked ready to pounce and break something..most likely Leo from the way he was glaring at him.

Leo gave a sigh, lifting his head finally. Our eyes met and I asked the question that had been floating in my own mind for the last several minutes.

"How long have you known, Leo?"

He didn't look away. "I have always known the risk, but the last two days…mainly." He said in a low tone.

"Two days?" I echoed, my hands tightening on my knees. He nodded, shifting a little in his seat. "I have been…bleeding.."

Mikey gave a sharp intake and Raph's eye ridges shot up his forehead. For a moment none of us knew what to say to that and then Raph began to growl again.

"Excuse me? Did you friggin say _Bleeding_? If I don't get some answers…"

"I guess…since it is out in the open…I had hoped…" Leo trailed off and shook his head_._

"_Since it is out in the open"._ I thought bitterly. I felt a shot of anger pinpoint my body, but I kept silent, wanting to hear him out. Maybe he had a reason for this. Maybe there was hope…Leo took a deep breath and began.

"I was asked to confiscate a war formula from Bishop. At this time, I had no real resources to protect you all from Phoenix and his clan. There is a much bigger game afoot then it appears. I knew that I couldn't allow Mikey to stay there and I knew I couldn't flee. Even if I did manage to break Mikey out on my own….I knew it wouldn't just end…They made sure of that. So I knew I would have to figure out a way to make sure that I took out as much as the clan as possible. Any follower of a teacher is just as dangerous as the teacher himself." Leo said.

_They made sure of that?_ Questions were racing through my brain_. A bigger game afoot?_ I got the feeling that Leo was still leaving out details. I bit my tongue wanting to wait to the end. My brother inhaled again in the silence and started off again.

"So I came up with a plan. I allowed myself to get caught when I infiltrated Bishop's base. I told him about Phoenix and he decided that it would be in the best benefit to get rid of him as well, however Bishop was just going to wipe out the city that Phoenix was hiding out in. I tried to talk him out of it. I didn't want innocent people to die because of this." Leo's voice was becoming louder as he spoke, his eyes back to burning a hole on the floor again.

"He said that if I was worried about others that I could go in and take care Phoenix myself. He wasn't going to send his men in and risk a full scale war. He didn't want anyone coming back and saying he was involved. So, I agreed. He gave a small portion of the formula to me and told me how to use it. The only problem with that was I would be close range, in order to use it."

I didn't like how this was sounding as it went. It was all starting to shape in my head. I could see Leo holding a weapon in his hand and weighing the morals of it. Leo had so many codes to him. He must have felt so torn.

"I knew the risk…but I also knew the risk of not using it. So I….headed back to their base and…" He stopped and closed his eyes. "It was stronger then I thought….the explosion…there was a school in the radius…"

I knew I had stopped breathing as soon as he said it. Oh my gah….I didn't know it had been that bad…why hadn't he told me that day? Why had he never said anything to anyone? Why did he…

"Leo…" Mikey began, putting a hand on the leader's arm. Leo's hand clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"I thought I had died. And then when I didn't…I had figured it would only be a matter of time. So I came back. I had to make sure Phoenix wasn't still after you… I had to make sure that he didn't survive…But now…I shouldn't have came back.."

Suddenly it all made sense. Why Leo didn't want to be touch. Why he was always checking the monitors. Why he didn't want to go topside. Why he was jumpy. Why he… My gah. I was a fool. How could I have not seen the signs?

"Leo!" I snapped, interrupting the stunned silence that followed. "Are you crazy? Why the shell…there had to have been another way?"

"They had a tracker in me." Leo stated simply. He gestured to the burn on his shoulder. A tracker? _They had made sure_…they had made sure that the could find him if he ran! My stomach twisted, horribly at the thought.

"It had been there. I am positive that I got it all out." He said.

The shock had to readable on my face. He had burned his own skin in order to remove a tracker! Cripes! My heart beat was racing with rage.

"Why the hell did you do that?"

Leo gave me a look. He obviously thought that was a dumb question. In some ways it was, but I couldn't believe that he had done all of this!

"So they couldn't find me, Donnie. I needed them to think I was dead, just in case I missed."

"You fucking idiot!" Raph said to him. The hot head was looking livid. "YA get some jollies off putting yourself at risk?'

Leo slowly got to his feet, eyes matching Raph's. When he spoke, it was very soft, but very clear.

"No, I do not. You think I wanted this? You think I wanted everything I stood for in jeopardy? You weren't there, Raph. You don't know."

"That's because you wouldn't fucking tell anyone. Gotta be the damn martyr to the end. Let me guess, you found out that you were sick and figured "to hell with it?" Raph roared.

"No. I have been trying to look for a cure. But what do you want me to do, Raph? Go to a vet? Bishop didn't have a cure for this crap even. I went to him right afterwards. I'm not into dying like you think I am, Raphael!" Leo snapped back.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Mikey cut in, his voice soft and full of concern. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Leo turned to him. " I-I didn't know how to say it…I had hoped…"

"You have given up." I said to him. "You have accepted it as your price to pay." And I knew from the way Leo looked at me from the corner of his eyes, not answering that I was right to some degree. He shrugged.

"I ran out of options, Don. You were my last hope…but I didn't want to go out with you all knowing….what a monster I had become in the end." He said it calmly. It made me shudder.

Before any of us could react, Raph step forward and punched Leo square in the jaw. The leader hit the floor, blood sliding down past his chin.

"Raph! NO." Mikey cried, getting in between them , but Raph didn't make another move towards Leo. He stood there, eyes blazing.

"You asshole." He said, his voice thick. "You fucking asshole."

Leo stared up at him, not bothering to wipe the blood away. "Raph..I'm…"

"SHUT UP! DON'T _EVEN_ SAY IT!" Raph screamed, tears on his face, his whole body trembling. " We trusted you! And you don't even give a _shit_! You were planning on just up and dying on us! You fucker!"

"No. I wasn't.."

"_**YES. You. WERE."**_ Raph growled, over Mikey's shoulder at the leader. "You are a heartless bastard. You don't give a fuck about anyone. We are nothing but little tin soldiers for you to move into battle and…"

"**HOW DARE YOU!"** Leo was on his feet so fast that I barely had to time grab him around the chest, stopping his advance on the hot headed turtle. Mikey and I were now getting sandwich in between them, trying to keep them apart.

"Leo! Stop.."I tried, but there was no stopping this.

"**YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!"** Leo yelled. "Every day. Every day, I am faced with odds of losing you all! Every day, I am fighting for you. **EVERY DAY**, **I WANT MY FAMILY SAFE. **Do you have any clue what that is like? You think I wouldn't rather we all just stayed in the damn lair and I never had to throw a punch again? You don't think that I rather be with you all? There is a reason for everything I do. I know that people will always come after us. Look at us! No matter how much good we try to do. No matter how much you all want to pretend otherwise. _This_ is why Splinter trained us. _That_ is why I train._ That_ is why I do what I do._ That_ is why I am what I am. "

Leo's body was tense under my grip. It was as if the months of holding back erupted out of him. All the fear and anger letting loose like a tidal wave. I stared at his face, a mixture of amazement and shock at all the things he had held inside.

"What about you?" Raph wanted to know. "You throw yourself.."

"NO. YOU SHUT UP." Leo's voice was dripping with venom. " I am sick and tired of you insisting that I don't give a damn. Protecting you does not mean that I want to die, Raphael. It means that I value my family above myself. But it does not mean that I plan on just jumping off a bridge for the hell of it. If I didn't care, then why the heck am I training? We are ninjas! It is honorable to die for a love one."

Honorable. The word hit me hard. Yes, that is what we were taught. Yes, it was what we fought for. But, was it right? Was that all it was? Just a pile of honor? Wasn't it more then that?

"**THAT IS JUST AN EXCUSE!"** RAPH boomed back at Leo, pushing Mikey back a few paces. Okay, enough of this.

"**STOP IT!"** I bellowed. They both jumped at the sound of my voice. "This solves nothing! You both are scaring the _shit _out of Mikey and me! How does fighting help us?"

I shoved Leo back a couple spaces and put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Now, we are going to all sit down and talk about this maturely or so help me I will start giving out spiked shots!"

It was a little bit extreme, yeah, I know. But it worked, Leo went and sat on the cot and Mikey was able to release his hold on Raph without the cannonball charging. They both were panting, eyes narrowed at each other. I couldn't stand this. But I didn't care. As long as they were quiet. As long as I could think.

"This isn't the end. Leo. You should have told me. I don't give a crap what you have done or what risks there were. You should have told me. And Raph, stop being a dick." I grumbled, going over to my pc. Both of them were watching after me, but I kept my focus on the screen. I still felt Leo wasn't telling us everything but I would have to deal with that later.

"I think that we need to go pay Bishop a visit."

"Don. I did…"

"You did that three months ago. I am sure Bishop has done his math by now" I corrected, cutting Leo off. I turned from my computer fixing him with a glare.

"You think it is honorable to die for your family. Yes, it is. However, it is also honorable for us to try and help you. As for what happened to that school, Leo. It was an accident. Simple as that. You shouldn't have judged that we would walk away from you because of it."

He stared at me, his eyes dark. I wasn't sure what he was thinking. His face was emotionless once again. I hoped he wouldn't fight me on this and so far he was not.

"Besides, even if Bishop doesn't have a cure for this amount of the formula, then I want the information on it. I will figure something out even if it kills me."

"Same here." Mikey piped in. He sat down next to Leo again, smiling. "It's okay, bro. We will help you."

We both turned to look at Raph, except Leo who stared awkwardly at the ceiling. All the attention was getting to him. Raph grunted and shifted his position by the door frame.

"Shit. Do ya even gotta ask?" He muttered, looking around the room, so not to notice our smiling expressions.

"Language." Leo muttered.

"Hypocrite." Raph shot back and I swore I saw the corner of Leo's mouth twitch as if trying to hide a smile.

I nodded, feeling the adrenaline soar through me. A plan taking shape in my mind. This was it. We could not fail.

"okay. Let's get a move on. We have a lot to do."


	54. Chapter 54

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Sooooo much drama…but this one is shorter…but very much needed…**

**Leonardo's POV**

Awkward was an understatement. It was down right dreary.

I sat upfront with Donnie and we all drove in silence. Mikey in the back and had his headphones on in the back and the light pattern of his music could still be heard and Raph was stretched out in the far back, like he was sleeping, but I wasn't sure if he was or not.

It was uncomfortable. The atmosphere. It felt suffocating. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell me that they were all pretty mad at me still. I really could not blame them. I tried to put myself in their spots and understand. But for some reason, my brothers still could not understand me as well as I did for them. It is peculiar. Was I that difficult to read? Was I so complex in my thinking?

I have always felt that I was very straight forward in how I do things. Maybe some where along the way, we truly had lost touched. Maybe I had never actually expressed my feelings for my family. I found myself stunned over and over again with their reactions. Maybe they really did think I did not care…Raph seemed to think so…Mikey ..even Don…I could hear their words echoing, bouncing around my skull.

"_I am not your job!"_

"_That is just an excuse!"_

"_You didn't trust us…."_

"Okay, why do you keep sighing over there?" Don's smooth voice pushed aside my thoughts, causing them to recede to the back of my brain for the time being. I glanced at him. He had both hands on the wheel and was staring straight ahead and I had wondered if I had imagined him saying anything, when he glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

"Go ahead. Talk." He told me. I studied him for a moment and then turned my gaze forward once more.

"I just have a lot on my mind." I began and then I stopped. Was this it? Was this why they felt the way they did? Because I didn't confide in them as often? That I kept my secrets and my weakness inside? Why didn't I just tell him what I thoughts? My training? Was this the real problem? Me?

"Leo?" Don asked, looking puzzled. I noticed his grip on the steering wheel tighten. I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment before replying.

"Don. Do you think I am cold?" I started. "To you." I added when he reached for the heater.

"No…." He said after a pause. "You just are…I don't know. Passionate as your role as the leader and the oldest."

I sighed, looking to my right out the passenger window. Well, that was a very fancy "yes" if I ever heard one. So it was me..after all this time.. It was Don's turn to sigh now.

"Leo, you don't always keep us in the loop, especially where you are concern. It is pretty unhealthy. You always want to be in control and handle everything yourself. Even when things are out of control."

Out of control? I pondered that. Was I? My body was maybe. I was sick. But was I really out of control? No. I didn't think so. I had known the risks. I had accepted them. That was in my control.

"Leo. I know what you are thinking. I am not going to play the "what if" game with you?" The purple wearing turtle said. "But, I do feel like you do not completely trust us…me.."

The way he let that last part hang in the air yanked at my heart strings. Yes, I should have come clean to him completely that day in the lab. It was true in some ways, but it wasn't all about trust. Was it? I shook my head.

"What?" He pressed, glancing at me and then putting his turn signal on and merging into the next lane.

"It wasn't that I didn't trust you guys…..I just..couldn't say it." I said, slowly. I felt the familiar feeling of shame reaching up into my face and coloring my cheeks, I turned my face from him so he could not see it.

How could I have said it? They weren't there…they hadn't seen the children…all their understanding about it was meaningless. I knew what I really was. What I had _become._

"Why?' He said, calmly. I took a breath and thought on that for a moment more. Yes. Why? Why not just tell them? Then it hit me.

"I guess because I love you guys." I said, slowly. "I was ashamed. I couldn't bear it if you hated me too. When I was lying in that crater after it happened and I thought I was dead…all I could think about was you guys."

"So you couldn't tell me because you loved me? Leo. That doesn't make a single drop of sense." Don sighed, but I cut him off.

"It is just like the cancer patient who wants to be taken off the machine so he may die with dignity. They do not to burden their loved ones. I believe it is why so many chose euthanasia. I could be wrong, though. But I didn't want you all to see me like this…remember me like this. I didn't want it drawn out….but…I got scared for you….I wanted to make sure you all were okay…so I came home…and then when I saw Raph…I wanted to see you all again…that was my own selfishness. I knew I shouldn't…but still…deep down…I wanted to be with you when it ended."

Don didn't say anything, he stared ahead. A death grip on the wheel, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Don't you see?" I begged, hoping he would hear me out. "You guys are every thing to me. It is more then just my team or even just family. You guys are the whole reason that I felt the need to exist. You guys were my drive. Maybe I didn't say it enough…"

"Leo, would you please stop talking like you are dead." Don snapped, sharply. I looked away again and closed my eyes. What I dreaded was coming true. I was losing them. One way or the other.

"I do get it, Leo." Don said suddenly. "I do understand as crazy as it sounds. Everything about you is about your dignity. I understand that you do love us all, but…we are NOT going to let you just die because you love us. That is not a good enough reason for me. I want you to live and talk to me about my projects or fight with Raph or…tell Mikey that he needs to be serious…."

Don was crying. Tears just poured from his eyes uncontrolled without him even blinking. I become a little concern about our safety since he was one who was driving. But He kept going unfaltering.

"I want you home in the lair, Leo. I'm going to fight for it. Leo. You don't have to hide your feelings. You can talk to me. I want to help you. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to stone…You don't have to be…"

"Cold." I finished for him and I felt my own tears touching my eyes, but I shook my head, refusing to let them fall. "So, I have been? I am sorry, Don. Maybe that is why everyone is yelling at me that I am "clueless'. I have been. I have been insensitive to you all…"

Don chuckled at little. "Yeah, maybe.."

"You know for years, I have trained hard to keep my emotions in tact. I am still not that best at it. I still brawl with Raph and get impatient….but maybe it was my words that I just trained…maybe I kept the wrong stuff in and let out the wrong stuff…." I said, bitterly.

"Leo…" Don said, softly. I turned to look at him and then Raph let loose a mighty snore that causes Don to swerve sharply.

"Cripes!" Don yelled and I grabbed the door frame out of reflex to steady myself.

"Whoa!" Mikey yelped from the back. "Geez, Don. Where did you learn how to drive?"

I glanced at Mikey in the backseat, who had his face buried in a comic book and smiled.

Typical.

"I'm going to try harder, Don." I said, glancing at Raph who rolled on to his back, mouth wide open and breathing heavy, he looked dead to the world. I turned my eyes back to the genius in our family.

"I want you all to be proud of me."


	55. Chapter 55

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: I know a lot of people do not view Mikey as a deep thinker sometimes, but I beg a differ. I believe that someone who comes up with the gags he does, thinks a lot more then he is given credit for. Who knows? Maybe Mikey will unravel the mysteries of life. XD**

**Michaelanglo's POV**

Ya know. This is totally messed up. What happened to Leo, I mean. What is up with all this? Dude get kidnapped, tortured, nearly blow up, set on fire, come back finally and is pretty dying as we speak. Really? IS the world ticked off at him suddenly? Cuz they are totally holding a grudge!

As I flipped through my comic, not really reading but not really wanting to talk, all I could think about how we always had something going on that was insane in our lives.

You know, what I mean? One minute, you're sitting listening to your i-pod and WHAM; you are getting some crappy news. How does that work for ya? It completely sucks!

The world is seriously screwed. But, what can ya do? Just roll with the wave right? I glanced over the top of my comic book and was surprised to catch a look of Donnie in the rearview mirror. He was crying.

What the shell now? See what I am talking about now? WHAM, right? I turned my I-pod down, seeing that he was talking to Leo and was rewarded with hearing some of Leo's sentence.

"You know for years, I have trained hard to keep my emotions in tact. I am still not the best at it. I still brawl with Raph and get impatient….but maybe it was my words that I just trained…maybe I kept the wrong stuff in and let out the wrong stuff…." He was saying.

His voice was thick and heavy sounding, like it hurt to talk about it. I frowned a little at that. The wrong stuff? Before I got to think too hard on that nugget of golden information, Raphael snored and Donnie gave me a near death experience when he jerked the car hard to the right. I flung sideways, choking on me seat belt.

"Whoa!"I shouted, my fingers crumpling my comic. "Geez, Don. Where did you learn how to drive?"

Don gave me an apologetic look in the mirror and Leo turned in his seat but I quickly yanked my comic book up in front of my face. I didn't want him piercing me with his all-seeing-eyes and figure out that I had been eaves-dropping. Sure, I did it on a regular bases but getting caught wasn't my usual goal.

"I want you all to be proud of me." He said to Don and I lowered my comic a little after a moment, checking to see if the coast was clear again.

Proud? Well, I was sure as shell proud of him. Now I was puzzled again. Seriously. Leo, for all his pure coolness, was dense. I turned up my headphones, thinking. The noise helps believe it or not.

So Leo thinks we are not proud of him then? I do not recall going over to him and saying, "Sup, dude? You stink", so why was he thinking that. Leo took things way too heart. I am thinking the guy is a little more sensitive then his cool disposition lets on.

Hmmm….That is the thing about families. There is ton of miscommunication. I am not sure why that it is. Maybe everyone just assumes stuff because you think "Heck, I live with so and so…they should know me."

]

But, it really wasn't the case at all. We make mistakes and jump the gun because you do think you know. That's when all the button pushing and problems go flying to the roof.

When I really think back, there is a lot of difference that I hadn't noticed then. There were times when I made the wrong assumptions. Like Leo did. Leo tries way too hard. He was a no-nonsense workaholic some times. He changed a lot since we were kids.

There were times that it felt like he was unreachable and I would think "what a hard-ass" and then all the sudden he would do something that made me see the old Leo shine through. So I knew he was there. Maybe we have all been just missing each other all this time.

_The wrong stuff?_

Maybe Raph was right and wrong. Maybe Leo didn't care what happened to himself, but he cared what happened to us. Or maybe he cared about everything and just really sucked at showing it. I mean Raph is no love cupid either, right? His idea of love was a punch in the shoulder or a smart remark.

So maybe Leo's way of showing his love was his training. Maybe he figured that by handling as many problems as he could he was helping us out. Wow. I thought. Well, this solves tons of doubt.

I had to hand it to myself. That is pretty good. I smiled to myself. _And they say Don's the genius. HA!_

Leo poked me in the leg and I jumped, pulling one of my ear-plugs away, so I could hear him speak.

"What are you laughing about?" I stared back at Leo, who was peering at me, his neck craned to see around his seat. Had I laughed out loud? Whoops. Hmmm…better think of something quick…

I raised my shoulders at him. "Oh..just another wonderful idea brought to you by Mikey."

Leo's eye ridge went up and Don gave me a critical look in the mirror. "Is that so?'

I nodded. "Yeah….do you think Raph would notice if I smothered him with your bag, Don?"

"My what?" Don yelled over Raph's snoring. Holy cow! How the heck was he getting louder? He had to be breaking a record of some kind with that noise!

"Leave him be." Leo instructed from me, wincing some when a new sound erupted from the turtle in red.

"er…maybe you should roll him on his side.."

Oh heck no! My eyes expanded in pure shock. You do not touch when Raph was sleeping. I wondered if Leo was trying to get me pummeled to death. But, he seemed to unaware of the impending doom of his statement.

I turned in my seat and flung my pillow from seat at Raph. He caught it in mid air and rolled over, his shell towards me, holding it like it was a teddy bear.

I made a face. Great. He better not drool on it….but at least I could hear myself think. I sighed, turning around and jumped when I saw Leo still looking at me.

"What?" I blurted out and then thought better of it. After all, someone needs to lighten up the mood and there is more then one way to get Leo to ignore. Trust me. I have the experience enough for decades.

"You may praise me on my sexiness. Don't be shy."

Leo made a face at me and I knew I had scored. Ha. Mikey bringing down the house, folks!

"What world are you from again? Because I am pretty sure it is not earth." He said and then turned back to face the road and I snorted. Leo had a quick tongue. Add that to the growing list of achievements.

I stared at him, wondering why it was so difficult for him to figure out how easy things could be if he spilled the beans once in awhile. Maybe he was really scared of not keeping everything "alright" for us. Its kinda funny. Now when I think on it, Leo seemed to be the most caught up in how we were.

He didn't really try blend into society like us. Don had a job fixing computers, I did partys..scary parties, but it was a job…Raph did that vigilante thing, but he still had Casey, and they hung out and did normal stuff like going to games. So that is as normal as Raph gets.

Leo….he would come if we asked…but he really wasn't into a lot stuff. Or was he? The most social able Leo had ever been was in South America from what I heard. And that was saving people too….April and Casey…Leo talked with them…still…

My eyes expanded. What if Leo was scared of admitting that he wanted a more normal life? What if he was scared of change and putting up the leader mantle? I racked my brain on this. Leo was sure confusing…my head was acting like it could explode with all the serious thinking I was doing.

The guy was like trying to figure out a rubik's cube! Every time you nailed down one side, the other side becomes more complex. Had he always been like that?

I glanced out the window at the dark landscape flashing by. The sun was going down. Maybe Leo was confused too…and unlike the rest of us, he didn't know how to just go with the flow. He was trying to stop the current instead. Maybe he was afraid that we would just split up and leave him…then what would he do?

I felt sadden by that last thought. I didn't want my brothers to take off either. Then again, what if Leo was tired of us? Oh, My GOSh! Leo was secretly as selfish as Raph accused him of?

Okay, yeah. Now I was just freaking the shell out of myself. I shook that last thought away and tried to think of something more pleasant. But instead, I thought back to when we were kids and when I had asked Leo if he wasn't ever scared.

Leo had been good at hiding his emotions then too. It came natural to him. Kinda creepy, really. I put a hand to my chin and thought back to what it would have been like to have held a weapon in my hand and decide if I was going use it.

_Would I have done it? _

My mind drew a blank on the topic and I felt a chill go down my spine. I loved Leo…I loved all my brothers, but would I have seriously have destroyed something like that?

Could I even come close to imagining?

Maybe Don and Raph are blowing this way out of proportion. Maybe Leo was just trying to do his best in a huge, messy situation. Maybe it was wrong to judge him on it. Wrong to hold it against him….Wrong of me to push him into promises that hurt him…..the wrong stuff….was that it….Maybe we were all guilty of it. We all had secrets.

I wish things would just go back to the way they were…but at the same time, I didn't because I wouldn't know what I did now. As little as it was. In a lot of ways, I felt I had grown…

I felt a hand touch my shell and almost screamed, when I realized it was Raph. He looked rather annoyed and sleepy still. You would think I would have noticed the lack of snores. Should totally buy him a muzzle or something…

"We there yet?" He muttered. I shook my head. He grumbled and flopped back down. I took a moment for my heart rate to slow back to normal and then I looked back up at Leo in the front seat; he was staring out his window too. It made me wonder what the hell was going on in his head too.

I sighed, thoughts spinning around in my head and pulled my comic back up. If only things weren't so complicated. If only…..we weren't scared to talk…I glanced back up at silent Leo.

Sometimes, I wish I was a telepathic.


	56. Chapter 56

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: I have re-written this chapter about ten times...details..details...details...Just to warn you. It is one heck of a ride, I hope. XD**

**Raphael's POV**

Ya would think I would be use to it by now?

Oh, _Hell_ no. I still wanted to kick Leo's ass for getting us into yet another mess just because he had to be all "leaderly'. Did it ever stop? The guy was messed up in the head in sooo many ways. Him and all his damn walls.

Shit….I am totally pissed! I laid on my side with my shell to Mikey. I had been asleep but they had all be yakking up front and woke me up. Sheesh, a guy can't even catch some shut eye.

And then there was Donnie. How long did he plan on babying Leo? "Its okay, Leo." And "don't worry Leo…I, genius Don, got your back" I made a face.

_Please. _

I had seen the look on old braincase's face., back in the lab. He was shell shocked. So Leo apparently didn't tell him as much as he thought. Yeah. That little secret society went down the fucking drain, didn't it?

Don was on the outside of Leo's walls just as much as the rest of us. Leo…how the hell do you get through to a guy like that? He had picked up Splinter's paranoid habits without a doubt and ran with it. He seemed to be getting worse all the time.

And ya know what? Even now as we are driving to fucking Bishop, I still didn't believe that Leo had entirely brought us into his little fold. I didn't know what all went down, but Leo was still antsy as fuck.

There had to be sometimes else going down. Aurgah! My head! He is killing my head! I can't sit around twiddling my thumbs! This sucks!

I turned in my seat and jabbed Mikey. He jumped and look like he was about to shit himself. I have that affect.

"We there yet?" I snapped at him and he shook his head, I slumped back down again.

Fucking peachy.

I had enough of this bucket of crap that was going on. In past, I didn't think I gave as much of a fuck, but now…Leo needed to be taught a lesson. He couldn't do whatever the hell he wanted and think that _I_ would be fine with it.

Who did he think he was? A fucking saint? Or maybe he was shooting for the Supreme Being, that way we couldn't question his mighty, authority. Well, I sure as hell was.

Shit. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand cooped up in this tomb-of-a -van either. I felt the need to bust my top again and that is a bit dangerous when others are driving. I rolled over and pummeled my pillow, before realizing that I wasn't sure when I got a pillow in the first place…whatever.

I lay back down, heavily, grumbling and caught sight of Leo's reflection in the window up front. His face was blank, his eyes hooded under his hat. He was getting ready mentally for what lay ahead. My eyes narrowed.

_What other secrets was he keeping? _

"Hey, Raph. We are going to have to stop for gas soon. You have your coat and hat?" Don called out to me, suddenly and my eyes flipped to him. Don must have a radar system on him for me. He seemed to have made it his personal goal to interrupt _anything _I do.

I grunted, sitting up though. Heck, a chance to get out for a moment. I'll take it.

The others already had their get ups on, but clothes make me itch. I struggled into my coat and pulled a cap down low over my forehead. It was dark out now, but still Don didn't take any chances.

Don pulled off the main road and I was surprised to see the gas station was shut down. It was completely dead and in the middle of fucking no where. I had put on a damn coat for this? I glanced at the run down place and shot Don a dirty look.

"The pumps still work even if the store closed. Hmm..it looks like they must not get much business out here." He said.

"How about _any _business?" Mikey remarked.

"Here." Don put the car in park by a pump and rummaged through his bag that was sitting on the floor in-between him and The Stone-faced Leonardo.

I waited, frowning, as I looked outside. Hell, I didn't even see a surveillance camera. This was a grade A-stupid idea. Don was just probably fucking around with me. A hat and coat? _Shit._

"There." He handed me back a credit card and I blinked. "Where the fuck did ya get this?"

"Are you getting the gas or not?" Don muttered, glancing away from me quickly, which made me guess he had not gotten it legally. I glanced at the name on the card, and rolled my eyes.

"Donnie Tellos?" I pulled on the sliding down and heaved myself out of the van and took a deep breath of fresh air. Yeah. Much better. I felt the van shift as Mikey hopped out, next to me.

My moment of freedom now ruined, I looked him over as he tugged his own hat down futher, shifting his weight from foot to foot. I think Mikey went to "The school for the Gifted Annoyances". My vein throbbed in my forehead.

"Where are you going?" I demanded and as he scurried towards the side of the building, fading into the night.

"Little turtle's room, dude? Do I need a hall pass? Geez!" He called back over his shoulder. I grimaced after him. The front door slammed and Don came around the side of the van, shell cell in hand.

"I'm going to try to call April. She and Casey should know what is going on. Can't get a signal though." He began walking around, holding the phone where he could see it. The faint light of the screen glowing in the dark.

"If ya all were going to get the fuck out of the damn car, why the fuck did I?" I shouted after them and stomped over to the pump and jammed the card into the slot, grumbling all the while.

I live with a bunch of morons.

I tugged at the collar of my coat, trying to get comfortable. Next time, Mikey is pumping the gas. I decided to myself, filling up the tank and then taking the card out when it was finished. I came around the side of the van, not in any hurry to get back in. Leo had the front door open, sitting sideways on the seat and letting his feet dangle out.

He looked pale in the compartment light from the car. "You want to ride in the front?" He offered. I shook my head, sharply. No way was I getting stuck up there with Don. I studied him for a moment.

"You okay? Ya don't look so good?" I pointed out. He looked up at me, his eyes gleaming in the dark.

"Did you hear that?" He whispered, standing slowly. His feet didn't make a sound as it touched the gravel. I glanced behind me, listening to the wind. It was pretty quiet, except for Don walking around, muttering but…

I caught something in the corner of my eye. A red glare off in the distance..what the fuck is…

"Raph! Get down!" Leo tackled me not a moment too soon. As I hit the gravel, on my side. I heard the sound of the glass on the open door exploding from the impact of a bullet, raining down on us. Fuck! Someone was shooting at us! I lifted my head trying to pin-point were it was coming from.

"What the shell?" Came Don's voice out of the darkness.

"Get Donnie!" Leo snapped, scurrying across the ground, on his knees. I got to my feet as Leo took off at a full run, the night swallowing him up. I could hear distant pinging noises off bullets hit objects in the direction he had gone.

"Wait! What are you…" I began, trying to go after him, when I collided with Donnie. We fell, tangled up with each. "Raph..what's going on…the door?" He was sounded like he was hyperventilating.

There was yelling coming from behind the building. Mikey and Leo…I got up, hauling Don to his feet and shoving him into the back of the van, he fell backwards onto the floor of the vehicle with an "oaf!"

I didn't bother to apologize, leaping inside after him; I climbed into the front, seizing the keys that were hanging from the ignition. I powered up the van, threw it in drive and floored it.

"Raph!" Don yelled, as the van rocketed forward, shooting into the grass as I drove full force towards the side of the building. Dirt and plants alike flew up in front of the headlights and the van bounced and bucked like crazy over the terrain.

As soon as the headlights spotted my brothers, I slammed on the brakes, throwing the door wide open. I bolted out of the van. "Leo! Mikey!" I stopped, when I saw what was in front of me.

Mikey and Leo stood in the back of the building. Mikey was sitting on the ground, eyes wide and there was a man lying at Leo's feet. In Leo's hand, he had a gun. I assumed that he had taken it from the man. Leo turned to look at me and I saw the spray of blood across the front of his chest. He looked down right dangerous, his face blank and his eyes dark.

"You…you..shot him…" Mikey was gasping, looking horrified. My mouth dropped a little. Sure, we have had guns before, but it wasn't our style. Leo, especially. Guns didn't have the same honor as most weapons. It gave your opponent less of an equal chance.

"Get in the van." Leo said, to Mikey, looking out beyond us. His eyes were searching the blackness that surrounds us. I made to move when I hear something whistle by my ear and the wall by Mikey's head gave a jolt, dust flew from a new bullet hole in it.

"Holy..." Mikey cried out, ducking.

"Sniper." Leo spat, lifting the gun with one arm and firing back. "I said, get in the van. Now!"

Mikey didn't have to be told twice and was half flying to the van, diving in the open side door, knocking Don back over who had just got his bearings.

"Hey!"

I ran back to the driver's side and Leo followed shooting all the while, giving us cover. I didn't know if he was shooting any where near the sniper, but I wasn't about to stop and ask.

We both jumped into the seat and I hit the pedal, hardly giving Leo a chance to shut his door. We all yelped when the back window shattered. _Shit! _I plowed through the grass, jerking the wheel hard.

"Get us out of here!" Don screamed as the van leapt onto the gravel, swerving dangerously. I melted rubber for all it was worth. The accelerator pressed against the floor and the van burst back onto the road.

What the FUCK was that?" I yelled as we shot down the road towards the interstate.

"Dudes, did we lose them?" Mikey asked, weakly from the back. He was trying to shut the van door, which was still open, the night air whipping in.

"This changes everything." Leo said, quietly. He was taking the gun apart in the front seat. I glanced at him briefly, as he lay the disassemble pieces on the dash board.

_Where the hell did he learn how to do that? _

"Raph…Slow down.." Don said, from the back, sweeping glass off the seat. "We don't need to attract the local cops." I gritted my teeth and eased off the gas pedal.

"Who were those dudes?" Mikey asked, giving up on the door.

"The clan. It looks like I missed." Leo said, darkly.

"Missed?" I echoed. "You mean those fuckers survived?"

"It appears that way." Leo replied. How the fuck was he so calm? He had just killed a man! He was covered in blood and taking a damn gun apart like he was an ex-marine? _Who was this guy I was sitting next to?_

"That doesn't explain how the shell they found us." Don began. "You said, you took the tracker out."

"I _did_.." Leo started, evenly when we heard the light melody from Don's shell cell. April? I wondered as Don dug around on the floor, trying to search around the glass for it.

"Text message." He muttered when he found it. We all waited but he didn't clue us in on anything, just sat in the back, holding the phone in both hands. I made a noise of impatient ness in the back of my throat.

"What does it say?' Leo questioned, turning in his seat. After another second, Don's voice came back loud and clear.

"Guess who?"


	57. Chapter 57

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: **

**Donatello's POV**

I sat ridged in my seat, staring at my phone. _How?_ Was resounding in my mind. How the shell did they get this number again? Actually, how the shell did they use this number to track us down now too? This wasn't right…I had covered our tracks…what had gone wrong?

"Guess who?" Mikey squeaked behind me, he was leaning forward, gripping the edge of the seat cushion, breathing hard. He was still having a little freak out from nearly getting shot to death. So I couldn't blame him. Cripes, even I was wondering if I was having a heart attack. My heart rate didn't seem to be slowing down any.

"That's not possible. I rerouted everything. I changed all the number and redid the configuration. They should have not been able to get this number. They shouldn't have been able to get _any_ of our numbers again…" I was saying out loud, trying to rationalize the situation at hand. I couldn't even wrap my head around it, let alone comprehend what was going on!

"Well, guess what, Don? They did." Raph said to me over his shoulder as he drove. I shivered in the breeze from the door and my grip tightens on the phone. I bit my lower lip, silently.

_Was Raph blaming me for this? _I thought, eyeing my brother accusingly.

How was I suppose to foreseen this? Let me guess, I am supposed to be psychic as well? Don the seer, right? Is that how things were now? I closed my eyes, briefly. My anger washed over me and I took a breath.

No…I couldn't think like this now. There was enough going on as it was.

"_This changes everything." _I thought. Leo was right, but in more ways then one. Once again, Leo had kept his fears to himself. _How is it the more I learn, the less I know?_ I thought, critically. I studied Leo's profile in the front seat. The look on his face, when I saw him walking towards us shooting away at the world. It had made me shudder. Like I had witness a scene from a movie or a play rather then reality, He hadn't even looked like the Leo, I knew and loved….it was…frightening.

_Why won't he let me in? _

The phone vibrated in my hand and I almost dropped it out of sheer shock. A new message popped up.

"Ask your brother if he remembers the animal within…." It read. There was a video feed link under it. I stared at it, contemplating. There were a hundred reasons why I should not open it. My eyes wondered over the text, curiosity and the thirst for answers probing my better judgment aside.

Upfront, Raph and Leo were bickering over what to do with the van. Leo wanted to ditch it and Raph felt they should wait until the next city, so we could hot-wire another. Leo didn't think driving a "hot" vehicle would help our odds. But then again, we were riding around in one that shot up, so that still attracted attention that we did not need. I could hear their voices, but it seemed like it was miles away from me though.

A hundred reasons not to do it, but a _million_ reasons to do it. I selected the link and held my breath as the little hourglass, appeared on the screen, telling me the film was loading up. I hit the mute button the side of the phone, not wanting Leo to find out what I was up to just yet.

I had a hunch that he wouldn't like what I was doing, but the same went for him and his recent activities, I figured. A video flashed go and I felt my heart drop in my chest. An image of Leo came onto the screen. He was tied up; his hands bounded in the front and had a gag over his mouth. There was a large gash across his cheek as if something had just cut it open and bruises around his eyes. But he looked livid, glaring it the camera. It appeared like they were in a warehouse of some sorts. There were several men who were trying to shove Leo in a crate and were unfortunate enough to not been able to bind Leo's legs.

He was putting up quite a fight, even so. I heard Mikey leaned over the back of the seat, looking over my shoulder at the cell phone. His breathing was sharp in my ear. Neither of us said a word, just staring at the device.

The camera jerked to the right and another man came in view, holding a long wooden rod in his hand, tapping it gently against his other open palm. I stiffen. Oh shell..they were going….The man raised the rod and suddenly there was a lot of commotion. People were dodging and trying to get out of the way. The camera was being yanked backwards as if the person filming was trying to get out of the line of fire.

The angle was shaking it was hard to tell what was going on, then in a tilted view I caught a glimpse of Leo, he had gotten free and with both hands swung hard at the man holding the rod. The blow landed in the throat region, I could only see the man from behind, but his body gave a twitch, head snapping upward. Blood shot up into the air and I gasped, as the man crumbled. _What the hell?_

"Holy shit!" Mikey exclaimed, hand over his mouth. "Oh, shit, shit shit!"

I was thinking along the same lines as Leo looked up, his eyes locked on the camera man and I had the sudden desire to flee. A tingle of fear ran up and down my spine in a split second. His hands were still tied and the gag around his mouth was soaked red, his cheeks were puffing out a little with each breath, nostrils flaring. I watched his eyes narrow. I have loved Leo's eyes for as long as I could remember. They always struck me as the eyes you could drown in. They were so beautiful and full of intelligence. It was one of the first things I had found attractive. But on the screen, they looked hard and cold.

_The animal within…_

Leo started towards the camera and was dog-piled from all sides. He hit the ground and buried under a mass of bodies. The camera zoomed in and moved closer, obviously feeling a tad bit safer now that Leo was being restrained again.

Leo was pinned on the ground, on his stomach, his arms crushed underneath him. He was struggling, as one of the men's sitting on his back, reached down and grabbed a hold of his ankle, keeping the leg straight against the ground.

What were they doing? They had to make sure he couldn't run or fight them off again..I thought after a second. _They were probably going to hog-tie him now._ However, I was wrong with that assumption. Not even remotely close.

My mouth went drop as another pulled out a long dagger, the blade sharpen to a point. He put a hand down, snatching Leo's foot and put the tip of the blade to it the arch.

**Oh..My….**

"No…" Mikey whispered, next to me as they began to cut, slicing into the flesh. We both sat; transfixed in horror watching them crave letters deep into the bottom of our brother's foot. Leo was squirming like mad, but to no avail. Blood seeped from the cuts, running down the length of his leg…My mouth hung open, my breathing coming out in short wheezes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Suddenly, I was glad I had turned the sound off..I couldn't imagine…

Leo's head inclined towards us, before he turned around in the front seat altogether.

"What are you doing?" He asked, quietly, eyeing the phone warily. But both Mikey and I were speechless, eyes glued to the small screen.

The man leaned back in the video, displaying his hand-i-work. The word,** FREAK**, pulsed on Leo's heel to the arch of his foot. I felt sick as I stared at it, eyes wide. How could they do that to him? My stomach lunged wildly and I clamped my lips together.

_They made sure of it…_Leo's haunting words had a whole new meeting. They had tortured him…they had cut him up….they had…made sure he would not be able to stand with out pain…

"Don."

I peeled my eyes away to look at Leo, his eyes gleaming in the darkness. "Give me the phone." He held out his hand and numbly, I gave to him. He glanced at the screen and closed it, then tossed it out the broken window.

'What the fuck was that? Was that the phone?" Raph wanted to know.

Even with the phone gone, a mile marker now some where on the highway, the images were still burned in my mind. Leo hadn't been kidding around when he said he was killer.

He had literally slaughter a man…ripped his throat out. He hadn't even tried to hold back…they had made him into a weapon…my gah…that is what they did…and then...they…

"Leo…" Mikey whispered.

"If you are going to ask why I didn't tell you, save your breath. I would think that is very clear. After all, Mikey…you didn't tell them everything about the _doctor_…did you?" Leo's voice came out, stern and full of warning. Mikey and he gazed at each other.

"Doctor? What doctor? Tell you what?" Raph, asked, proving Leo's point. Leo sighed and shook his head, his expression relaxing a tad. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, smearing the blood over his chin.

'Sometimes, it is not soothing to know the truth." He said, sadly. "Sometimes, the truth is more hurtful…"

I felt dumbfounded, like everything I had thought I had known meant nothing now. As if, what I had seen…had sucked the color straight from my very eyes. I think I am going into shock…I thought, mildly to myself.

My eyes lingered towards, Leo's feet which were hidden in the shadows up front. Just like the pain…another sicken thought camped out in the back of my mind. What else had they done to Mikey and him? I remembered how screwed up Mikey had been when he first returned.

Leo had been trapped with them even longer….but Leo…he was so strong….they couldn't break him so easy…no one could…But as I looked up at my brother…**my whole world**…I knew…

I knew why he had given up…


	58. Chapter 58

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Well, it has been awhile….since I have posted…Been around the world and back again in that time…This chapter was a pain...seriously...there is so much going...but it was needed so that chapter 59 would make sense...*sigh***

**Leonardo's POV**

You know the saying "it never rains, it only pours"? I don't know who said it. But I would like to read that guy's book because he knew what he was talking about.

Master Splinter always says things happen for a reason. That there are no accidents. That each and every detail has a grand purpose. That all this has a design. A plan.

On days like this…I would _love_ to hear his interpretation.

Things were more out of control then ever and what was worse was that I had completely, stupidly and carelessly drawn my brothers right into the cross fire. Again, I might add. The very thing I was trying to keep from happening since the beginning! Everything..wasted! All those lives….

_How could I have been so dumb?_

They weren't just targeting me. That man…he had been after Mikey. They were gunning for my family now. An eye for an eye, so to speak. All I knew was I had to bring everything to the table now….including more death…

Death and fear.

I have seen more then my fair share of this…..could my brothers go down the same path? I highly doubted it….it was a path that I did not wish on any soul.

The look on Mikey's face when I shot that hired gun…the horror and disgust…pure shock…He was scared of me. Terrified of what I had done. My own brother….I still could see the terror in his eyes and I could not shake it from my mind. Was this the price I was going to have to pay? To watch my own family coward from me? Was this it? Mikey's fear in exchange for his life?

I kept a shudder from running its course as I leaned back into my seat a little. I deserved it. Every bit. My crimes just keep growing…

They had been right about me…I am a monster…a weapon….but they still weren't getting my family! I had made a vow and I intended to keep it.

My fists tighten as I peered out the window again. It was now a game of time. I have to clear this up before it is too late…I can't leave them with this mess I made..

"Leo! Are you even listening to me?"

Raph's angry tone tore into my sub-conscience and I suppressed a sigh. I wasn't in the mood to argue with him. I needed to think…to plan…to fix this! I had to lose them….was that the safest option?

"There is a city coming up. We need to ditch this piece of crap van before daylight…"

Raph was saying and I frowned, trying to focus on his words..but found I couldn't….In fact..now that I think on it….I was having a little trouble seeing…what was wrong with me?

Before I could register that something was truly amiss, I slumped forward, smacking my face into the dash board and Raph shrieked next to me, the van swerved. The brakes screeched as we came to a jerking halt.

"Shit!" Mikey yelped in the back seat and Donnie let out a "whoa!"

I put my hands on the dash board, tiny black dots twinkling in front of my eyes. Just light headed…I told myself, but I knew that wasn't it…it was finally catching up to me.

Now…why did it have to be now?

"Raph! You can't sit in the middle of the road! Get over!" Don was yelling and I felt the van jerk to the right and come to another sudden halt. The motions were making my stomach do flips. Raph leaned over and grabbed my shoulder pushing me back against my seat.

"Leo…are you okay?" Mikey was asking from the back, sounding very distant. I gave my head a shake and things swayed back into focus, slowly. I let out the breath I was holding, my lungs on fire.

"Of course, he is not fucking okay!" Raph snapped. "He is trying to fucking pass out…"

The passenger door opened and suddenly, Don was putting a hand on my forehead. His fingers felt cool to the touch. Strange…I hadn't heard him get out…

Come on, Leo! Get a grip! How can you do anything acting like this? I scolded to myself.

"You don't have a fever." He announced, looking anxious.

I pushed his hand back gently. "I am okay…just a dizzy spill…probably from the adrenaline rush…"

Both him and Raph didn't look convinced and the exchanged looks over me.

_Geez._

"Honest. We need to keep moving." I said, trying to not glare. After all, fighting with them was just going to slow us even more down.

Don chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before closing the door and getting back into the van. It wasn't hard to figure out what he was thinking. I sighed inward as he settled in the back, quiet. He knew, but Don also knew we were sitting ducks out here. He was keeping his complaints to himself. For that, I was grateful.

Raph, however, was glaring at me, his golden eyes narrow. I did my best to pretend that I did not notice. Sometimes, that is the best line of defense against the hot head. I kept my eyes transfixed out the front window.

"Drive." I instructed him and he sucked in some air, and then turned forward again. I could feel the rage steaming off his skin. It hung over his head like a was just about ready to explode.

He sat there, engine idling. Then punched the roof, the metal dented in. I flinched before I could stop myself and Mikey yelped in the back. _Was he crazy!_

I flipped my eyes towards him. He glared at me, eyes gleaming, the lunatic.

The silence was unsettling. I waited for the rant that was sure to come, listening to Raph panting. He seemed to be having an inner battle raging on. He tightens his fist and tore his eyes from me, glaring at the road now, as if it was responsible for our situation.

"Raph.."Don began as I just stared at Raph, watching the blood stream from his split knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel. I felt myself getting ready, shields rising, waiting for what was to come. There would be a fight.

"I am fucking sick of this! Fuck you and your damn secrets." Raph screamed, without even turning to look at me and threw the van in drive and pulled out onto the was more stunned silence to follow as the van bumped along the road.

I was a bit taken back on his reaction….I had half expected a long argument. Not a "fuck-you-and-let's-keep-driving." I blinked at him, as drove, scowling all the while.

"What was that? Just trying to get things off your chest?" I asked, eyeing him.

"Don't fuck with me right now Leo." He growled as we picked up speed. "You're lucky I ain't pounding you. If we didn't have maniacs with guns chasing us, I sure as hell would."

Seriously? Pounding me? At a time like this? Honestly, Raph and his temper…How could his attitude be so bad? It made me wonder where the heck he learned it from. It sure as shell wasn't Splinter.

"Glad to know some things still haven't change." I remarked, rolling my eyes and settling against my seat.

Raph made a grunt in response that sounded a lot like "Fuck you." He was pissed but trying to keep it under control. I had to give him credit. If we had been younger he would have probably dumped me off on the side of the road and backed the van on me. I had caused quite a bit of trouble.

I looked forward again. My eyesight was back to normal now…but that hadn't been a good sign…I was going to have to be more careful now. This was crazy…either this disease…or HE was going to kill me…Either way….

"Leo…"Don said, quietly from the back seat. I inclined my head towards him to show I was listening. Best not to piss off another brother in the same minute, after all.

"Have you had anything to eat today?" Don asked, his voice was almost impossible to hear, like he was regretting already asking me. I didn't blame him. Don and his mother hen instincts.

"Heh." Snorted Raph next to me. "Leo taking care of himself? Imagine that."

And people wander why, this guy gets to me. I threw him a glare and turned to glance at Don in the back and to tell him to quit babying me. But, He was staring at me with large eyes. It was kind of pitiful and I found myself restraining my temper. Don didn't deserve this….None of them did….not even Raph…

"Yes. I'm fine. Really. Don't worry so much, Don."

"Don't worry so much…" Don repeated, arching an eye ridge at me. "That doesn't even compute…

I sighed. "Look, let's all just focus on getting another vehicle and meeting up with Bishop…" My eyes wandered back to Mikey, who looked deathly pale in the back as he stared at me. Eyes were wide and darkly blue. He looked like he was in shock. He was just staring at me, drowning me with his eyes.

It made me falter for a moment. For a moment, I thought he wasn't breathing and a rush of fear hit me like a sledge hammer to a wet clay door. Then I saw his chest rising. Relief flooded me momentarily, and then realization set back in. I had done that to him.

"And I think we should get Mikey something to drink from the cooler in the back." I added, gesturing with my chin and Don turned in his seat. "Gah." He muttered, climbing into the back along side our youngest brother.

"You okay?' Don asked, giving Mikey a little shake. That seemed to snap the orange wearing turtle out of it. "Y-yeah…" He stammered back, eyes dropping their gaze from me. I turned away abruptly, as Don dug around in the cooler.

Great. Looked like I had traumatized Mikey to boot. My fault. I had no right to go to him. To make matters worse. Good one, Leo. And that little video clip sure didn't help anything.

I felt guilt sliding up my spine. I was losing myself…diving in with my own inner beast….I didn't have to shot that man..did I? My God. What have I done…Confusion floated to the surface and I closed my eyes trying to make sense of my sins…I felt like there was too different parts of me fighting for control. _Animal within…_

_Was that it?_ Had I truly snapped? I wasn't sure. My family was alive, still breathing but was I doing more damage then good? I didn't know how to answer that. But, I did know of one thing. It wasn't going to stop now. Everything was too far gone. I had to keep going.

"Sorry..Mikey.." I mouthed the words, but no sound came out. "Sorry everyone."

All for a reason, right? Part of the plan? This was by design….Some one please explain this one. I stared back out the window, listening to Don and Mikey talk incoherently in the back. One thing was clear. One thing was extremely certain to me as a listened to their voices.

I never should have come back.


	59. Chapter 59

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: **

**Michaelanglo's POV**

To tell the truth, over the years, I have seen some real, plain, down-to-earth crap. And I mean that in the best possible way. But today…it really takes the cake…Leo shot someone. Someone that was a complete stranger. Someone that now, I would never forget.

The man's features were engraved in my brain and were freaking me totally out! I could see the wide eyes and the gaping mouth, followed by the spray of blood over and over again. The shot was deafening in my ears. It was echoing there even now.

Then there was the fact that Leo looked like he was straight out of the "terminator".

That sure as heck did not help my nerves. Nothing like having a gun pointed at you to make you feel alive.

Shell! Leo had looked completely….I shivered. Cold. Icy in fact.

I had never seen his eyes as dark. He had disarmed that man so fast…I barely had time to register the fact that he was there. He just popped out of the night…like a jack in a box!

Sheesh, no wonder kids are afraid of those things….

I already knew the nightmares would be coming. And now, that freaky homemade video of Leo going postal on someone else….Shell…I didn't think I could take all of this.

What was happening to my Leo? My superhero brother was suddenly turning into "serial killer" right before my very eyes…and I did nothing to stop it….that night on the roof and now today…

I mean, Leo had almost passed out! He looked awful….this was really happening! He

Really was sick…he really was…I shuddered and gave my head a slight shake.

This was totally my fault….

"You okay?"

I jumped little, noticing that Don was sitting right next to me. Concern written all over his face. How long had I been staring straight ahead with out seeing? I didn't even hear Don get in the back with me…Gosh, must have been really out there.

I nodded. "Y-yeah."

My voice all came out choppy. I inhaled some air and tried again. "Just a lot to take in."

Don made a sound of agreement, leaning over the back seat and opening the cooler. Glass tinkled as it fell off the top of it. He shoved ice around before reemerging with a can of Pepsi and holding it out to me. Don. A true doctor.

I grasped the cool container, my eyes flickering back up to Leo, who had his back to us and lowered my voice. I needed someone to confide in…

"Don….he's getting bad…"

"I know." Don responded, glancing up front as well. "But you don't look so hot either. I'm sorry. I should have had paid better attention to you. If Leo hadn't said anything…"

I cut him off, frantically. "Leo...Don…What they did to him…It was my fault. Shell, it is my fault that Leo got captured in the first place."

Don's brown eyes fluttered for a second. I could feel the tension, literally as my words soaked in. I felt my face, turning red in shame under Don's gaze. He stared at me hard, like he was wondering if I was hallucinating or something. Then he sucked in some air.

"Mikey…" He began, trying to put a hand on my arm, but I pulled away, anger flashing. He wasn't taking me seriously! He sounded like a senior citizen talking down to a kid! Come on!

"Dude. I knocked him out….We were fighting…I thought I could stop him…but I got hit with a tranquilizer dart and the next thing I know….A frigging meat locker is my new habitat." I snapped.

"Whoa. What?" Don hissed at me, eyes wide. "A meat locker? Mikey, you are not making any sense? You fought with Leo?"

I sighed, looking away. Maybe, talking about this was a bad idea. It was opening a door to something that I did not want to re-visit. A place that was better left forgotten. It was my secret.

"Mikey…" Don was saying. "Did they do things to you like on the video.."

And there it was. Clear as a zit on the face. The question that I had been avoiding all this time. I paused and opened the can with a pop and drained some soda. It was taste-less and seared down the back of my throat…But I couldn't care less. My mouth was actually very dry.

Could I tell him? Shell…this was wacked…I was getting an inclusive back stage pass to how the shell Leo was feeling. This wasn't the time or the place for it either.

"No." I lied after I swallowed, deciding that Don would just have to wait it.

Don opened his mouth, but I shook my head at him. "Please. Don't ask me again, Donnie. Not right now."

He sighed and I could tell it was totally killing him. Donnie hated to leave a puzzle unfinished, but he would. He would respect this. He nodded.

"Okay, fine. But one thing. This isn't your fault. Not yours and Leo's. It is their fault. _Only_ them. Do you understand? And the way Leo is acting in that video…that isn't really him, ya know? We know the real Leo…they didn't break him.." The last sentence trailed off as if Don was trying to convince himself as well as me.

It was a fear that I had too. A rabid Leo just wasn't the same as the big brother I loved.

I never wanted to see that cold look I had on Leo's face every again. Never.

I nodded and felt tears reaching towards my eyes. "Don, I don't want Leo to die…I don't want any of you to die. I want things to go back to the way they were…"

"Stop it, Mike. You are starting to sound like Leo. We will find a way out of this nightmare and everything will be fine. I promise." Don said, sharply.

Sounding like Leo…I could do worse. I mean, thinking like him…

"Now…You knocked out Leo in a fight?" Don asked. I glanced at him, nose wrinkled up.

"And why do you sound sooooo surprised?" I demanded.

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Because it defies all logic. Leo wipes the mats with you about five times a week."

I snorted. Yeah, that was true. But Leo wasn't playing on the same mind set that I had been. Not that Don needed to know that bit of knowledge….

"What can I say? Some of us just got it." I said to him with a wink. He made a face at me.

"Gah, I hope it is not contagious." Don breathed. "I got enough problems on my plate." He reached in the back for another drink. "Besides, you probably played dirty." He muttered as he opened a can and took a sip.

A smile spread over my face, before I took another drink. Credit given where credit was due.

Don was a genius.


	60. Chapter 60

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Enter a new zone. **

**Raphael's POV**

And people actually wanna know why the hell I am ticked off all the time? Are you for real? I thought things couldn't have gotten any crazier before the night was over. I was wrong. Dead wrong. Now Sir. Leo is trying to faint in the front seat. Then, his Lordness tries to pick a fight with me?

Are you fucking kidding me?

"_What was that?" _That was me punching in the damn roof because you make me pissed! What else would it be? The jack-ass was lucky I didn't punch him for good measure. Damn…after all this….I was gonna beat the shell outta him. In more ways then one….that was a fact.

As we rolled in the city...we ditched the van straight away. Leo was insisting, that we went on foot….I think he is going nuts. He was sure acting the part. We had quite bit of ground to cover still.

I could go along with his fucking nagging, but I was picking out the next car out. Not him. So he could just shut it.

"Raph! Slow down. This isn't our turf." Leo was hissing as we slipped along in the shadows. Ya know. I really believe that Leo thinks I'm stupid or something. Why else would he state the fucking obvious?

I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore him, which is never easy. Especially if ya happen to be me. But, I kept in mind the sight of him passing out. That had scared me worse then the damn sniper. I didn't want to see another episode of how sick Leo actually was.

Thunder rumbled up above and I swore. Perfect. Now it was fixing to rain. I glanced over at an old storage unit and shifted in that direction.

"Raph!" Leo snapped again, this time grabbing my arm. I spun around on him, yanking my arm free.

"Shut. Up. Leo." I growled at him. His eyes narrowed back at me. I had to give it to him. He wasn't well, he looked like shit and he was still trying to take lead. No fucking way. Ya think the guy would learn or something?

He was tough, but I was better.

"Dudes. Come on. Sing with me…Why can't we be friends…" Mikey started, but one look from me and the clown stopped cold. I knew he was trying easy the tension around us but, this was serious…Leo needed to sit this one out. We would get the antidote from Bishop. Not Leo. We couldn't risk Leo getting involved. Shit, I was all up for tying his ass up and leaving him some where. The guy was an idiot.

"I got this." I spat at Leo. "Now go sit your ass over there and wait for me. I don't need your help. Got it?"

"I am not sitting any where!" Leo said, smoothly. I almost smirked at that. _We would see about that.._

"Leo…Just let Raph hot wire the truck over there….we got to keep moving…" Don said, trying to be the voice of reason. I was a bit amazed that he was taking my side, but heck. I'll take it. Anything to shut King Leo the hell up.

"I don't think driving a stolen car is going to help matters." Grumbled Leo, crossing his arms. He shot Don a dark look along side one that had been reserved for me.

"That is why stealing one from the storage unit is a better idea. People are less likely to discover it is missing, right away. Raph has a valued thing here." Don said, eyeing the units. "This can work…."

I blinked. Wow. Okay, Don was seriously on this one with me…Maybe the guy isn't half bad..

"But, I will break in." Don finished. My eye ridges shot up as well as everyone else. Don shrugged as we stared at him.

"I have more experience." He said, patting his bag. "Besides, Raph, we don't need you busting up our get away car we you get mad. Hot wiring isn't as easy as it looks. So you can wait with Leo."

Should have seen it coming. Damn Donnie.

"What?" I began but Don was already running on foot away from us. My hands tighten. That geek.. I started after him, but Leo blocked my path.

I shot Leo a glare. "Oh, so it is okay, if Don steals, but not me?"

Leo's stone face looked me over. "Don doesn't enjoy it like you do." He said, simply.

Okay…he had me there…Maybe I did enjoy..just a little..so sue me. Mikey shifted uneasily by us, waiting. He apparently was thinking Leo and I were going to go for each other's throats without Don's supervision. There was always a possibility with Leo. I leaned back further into the shadows as we all stood in the alley waiting. Annoyed.

Hopefully, Don wouldn't just grab the first thing he saw…Hopefully, he got something with a bit of class. Fuck…I needed at least one thing to go right. Please. Not another fucking mini-van.

We all jumped when we heard the screeching of approaching tires. "That sounds stealthy." Mikey mentioned, as the noise echoed through the city.

Hell, Don…lay the fuck off the gas. I thought as I straighten, eyeing the units looking for movement. I didn't see jack and the noise was getting louder. Where was it coming from? What the fuck?

Instantly, I was suddenly blasted with light as two headlights wheeled into the alley from off the cross street. I pulled back from the light, shielding my face as the car squealed to a stop in front of us. It was blinding. I felt the others doing the same. I lowered my hand, squinting.

"Shit, Don. Give us a fucking heart attack." I growled as the driver door opened. A shadow appeared and I realized all too soon that it wasn't Donnie. Not even close.

"You…" Mikey whispered next to me. Leo stood frozen next to me, arms up, hands on the hilts of his katanas, ready.

"Greetings." Bishop said, as he stepped in front of the lights.


	61. Chapter 61

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Ya know…I never drank coffee until I started writing from Don's point of view…..now I drink coffee every time I write him…makes you wonder…has he experimented with different kinds of coffee. I think the answer to that one is obvious…XD**

**Donatellos's POV**

Here I go again. That is the first thought that entered my subconscious as I ran towards the storage unit. Honestly. What would my brothers do with out me? Ninjas need to be able to deal with anything. Breaking into a unit Raph style? Ha. We would all be in locked up somewhere.

Speaking of Raph. The hot head. Leo was seriously going to deck him, if he kept up. I was worried about Leo too, but Raph wasn't the best at showing his emotions. You basically just got one vibe from him. Angry. Non-stop. I had seen the way Leo's eyes had narrowed on our red wearing brother and I could literally smell the fight that was going to come. One that I was going to have to stop. Leo wasn't in any condition for that, as much as I hate to make a point for Raphael.

I scanned the building as I neared, eyeballing for security cameras. This place was low maintenance. They probably didn't worry a whole lot about thievery here. Then again there was a lock and coded gate…so maybe they weren't worried about smart thieves.

Just a hypothesis.

I headed for the main entrance and checked the door's lock. It was a digital lock with a code and a dead bolt. I shook my head. They could have at least given me a challenge. I dug through my duffel bag. Yeah. Raph makes comments about my bag all the time, however, as Leo likes to state, "A ninja must always be prepare." Or maybe that is the Boy Scouts….Hmmmm..

I pulled out my own homemade version of a Kwick Lock Pick device as well as a file. The real thing is always more flashy, but hey, I'm a large walking reptile. I don't always need flashy toys. I just wanted to get the job done.

I set to work, sliding the file to right of the lock at an angle, while insert the pick into the small hole on the top. Once that was accomplished, I began to count backwards, watching for the lock to reset itself. Then at the precise moment, I slid the file under the bolt, catching the lock in place. All I had to do now was pull the handle and the door popped right open.

_Child's play. Am I right? _

I glanced around inside. There wasn't much to the office. A couple of desks, a file cabinet, a water machine, a coat rack and a fan. It was all cramped in the small space. Bet it got hot in here in the day time.

I located what would be the boss's desk and headed over to it. I dug through my bag again and pulled out a wad of bills. You'd be surprised how much cash you could come up with in the sewers and doing some jobs on the side always helps.

I separated what I thought was a reasonable amount to borrow a truck and tossed it on top of the paperwork on the desk. There. Now, I wasn't completely flat out stealing the truck. I'm no angel and yeah, I have taken stuff before. But at the same time, I always try to make sure that society gets something back. Some times, that is me helping to save the city. But cash is just as nice for some people.

My conscience now resolved and deciding against doing paper work for obvious reasons, I spotted something of value on the wall and pulled a couple of keys from the hooks before heading out the side door into the complex. I was sure that I could find a u-haul truck with these. It would be cake.

As I stuck to the shadows, I could hear a screeching noise in the distance, but disregarded it. I didn't have time to go investigator noises in the city. Probably just a crazy driver. I was almost positive that they weren't just in New York.

I came around the corner and a smile touch my lips. Finally. A line of trucks waited for me. I glanced down at the keys in my fist, trying to find a label for them and the trucks they belong to, when I heard another noise. This one much closer.

Keys. Jingling. I scooted back into the darkness. Great. There was probably a night watch man or something. One more thing I would have to do. I waited, feeling my heart beat pounding away in my chest. I waited for a bit. The noise dropped in and out of my hearing range but for the most part, seem to stay the same range. Whoever it was wasn't moving.

When no one emerged, I felt a spike of boldness run through me, following the sound carefully. I peered around to the back of the unit and spotted a figure, trying to unlock one of the units. There was a can of kerosene by their feet.

I made a face. _Really. A vandal? Couldn't they ever just __**not **__pick the same night I was here._ Call me a hypocrite. I mean, yeah…I was going to take a truck. But…I paid…so…yeah. I sighed. One thing was certain. I couldn't take a truck without drawing this person's attention. All the stealth in the world wasn't going to hide the sound of a motor starting.

Based on that logic, I approached the figure with caution. Whoever it was had their back to me. They were wearing a long black coat and had a hood pulled up over their head. They also seemed to be getting the before-a-crime-jitters, because they kept shaky, losing their grip on the pad lock and the keys. Hence…the sound.

I was less then four feet from the figure, when they suddenly froze and spun around, keys jabbed out at my face at an amazingly quick speed. I ducked on pure reflex, seizing the wrist and shoving back. The person teetered back into the unit door with a bang and slid down it. The hood fell askew and bits of white hair became visible.

I paused, my eyes lingering on the face. "You…" I said, softly.

I was staring down into the face of Frost. But she didn't look the same as she did those long nights ago back on the roof. Her scalp was covered in clumps of white hair and red skin bore underneath. There were patches of discolored skin on her neck and face and those were the only ones I could see. Sores on her mouth. Her eyes appeared red.

She had been exposed to radiation, I concluded noting her symptoms. She glared up at me. I was amazed that she was even alive. I felt a flash of anger. She was my enemy, but she also looked finished. She was dying.

"Cursive filth." She growled at me, her voice sounding ragged.

I gave my head a shake and got over my emotions. "Why are you here?" I demanded and she smiled at me, blood streaks appearing on her teeth.

"Your brother….did he live?" She asked and I scowled back at her. She shrugged. "Typical. The monster lives. He ruined it all." She leaned her head back against the metal.

I brushed aside her insults. "Why are you here?" I repeated.

She glanced at the gas can. "I would think that obvious, mutant. I came to dispose of the evidence and to die with honor."

"Honor?" I said, flabbergasted. "I have seen what you and your men did to Leonardo. You can't even touch honor!"

Her eyes meant mine glittering in the darkness. "I can't even finish my task…why did you have to be here…" she whispered and slumped over to the side. The sound of her ragged breathing ceased as her body shuddered in a couple spasms. I rushed over, but I knew already. She was dead.

I stared down at her body. Shock entering my brain. Why did I have to be here to witness this? Was it a foreshadow of what would happen to Leo? I couldn't imagine him in this state. Yet I knew….it would happen. I couldn't picture his body on the ground by my feet..eyes glassy..

_My gah…_

I pushed the thoughts back away from me. My whole body gave a shudder and my eyes fixated on the keys on the ground and I scooped them up and unlocked the pad lock with ease. The unit door slid up with a rumbling noise that echoed around me. I stared into the unit and found it was lined with boxes from wall to wall all the way up to the ceiling.

I pulled one of the boxes down and scanned the papers. It was too hard to see.. The duffle bag provided a flashlight and I was in business. They were documents of the foot clan…describing practices. I frowned as I scanned through them. I moved that box aside and selected another box.

This was records that involved different world organizations. Another box contains stock market descriptions. What the shell was going on?

I pulled another down and was stunned to see a photo of Leonardo staring back at me. I moved the photo aside and found charts about our top-side patterns and possible lair location. There were typed papers on our fighting techniques and well as information on Hamato Yoshi.

Our whole history was here. Everything. I pulled another box and found a psychological evaluation. It was by Dr. Frahm. I grabbed the papers from the box and folded it and stuffed it into my bag.

Frost was right. This stuff had to go. Everything in here could be used against us. **Everything had to be erased.** I went back out and picked up the kerosene and opened the top. I walked through the unit dousing the boxes and then tossed the can on the floor, letting the liquid drain out. My nose wrinkled at the smell. This place was going to go up fast.

I pulled out a taser from my bag, flipping the switch on. The device whirled to life as the electricity surged. I reached out and hesitated before lighting the first box. I lowered my arm. I glanced back at Frost's slumped form on the cement behind me.

_Everything._ I thought again.


	62. Chapter 62

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Things are never as they seem….**

**Leonardo's POV**

I still kept my face rigid. It was the only way to protect my real emotions. It was my only defense with the way things were heading. Like a derailed train heading for a concrete wall. But the emotions were still there. One feeling in mix pulsed more then others. One I could barely describe. I felt…bare…

Pulled out from the inside and left stripped…that was the way I felt any more.

Bishop's sudden appearance yanked the breath from my lungs and I felt my whole body freeze as if hit by a time spell. I know the feeling because I have felt it before, thanks to a certain creature called, Draco. I tried to be prepared for everything, this wasn't it. Bishop didn't leave his base unless there was something to be gained.

My day was about to get a _whole_ lot more complicated.

I lowered my arms, my eyes narrowed fixated on the man in front of me. He stood there, arrogant as I had been. But, I knew. I knew his hands were as bloody as mine. Bishop knew what it was like to make a nasty call. I never would have thought I could sink to his level. A flare of rage spiked in my gut, but I quickly doused it. I had no time for the blame game. No time for ghosts of the past to come calling.

"The end justifies the means, Bishop?" My voice came out cool and controlled. At least my training was still coming into play as I squared my shoulders. His dark glasses flashed as his head tilted in my direction.

"Leonardo." He regarded me, crossing his arms. "You missed."

My fists tighten at my sides and one of my knuckles cracked, but I refused to let my face flush. _Missed!_ I allowed myself a moment, to breath. I didn't need to lose it here. Not again.

My two brothers seemed to snap from their own stupor. Mikey moved closer to my side and Raph was the first to speak. Speak…not think…

"What the fuck are you doing here?" My hot headed brother growled, menacingly. I sighed inwardly. Raph and his language crossed my mind. But it was a valid question.

Bishop pushed the dark shades that were sliding down the bridge of his thin nose back up before answering.

"I am here to investigate a call about a break in at this warehouse. My sources say that there has been some kind of zombie roaming around…or in any case a sickly person. I had assumed that it was another radiation victim, but now seeing you three hear.." Bishop's words trailed off.

"Another…" The word escaped me before I could lock my jaw shut. Bishop's gaze was still directed at me.

"Perhaps you know more about it then I do." He stated sharply. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. He already knew that I did.

Next to me, Mikey shifted his footing, so he blocked me, protectively as if he could shield me from the cutting words. If only it was that simple…

"I thought you didn't like _leave_ your little alien base. Isn't your job divine or something? I forget." He snapped, his words dripping with hatred. I closed my eyes briefly from it. As if it had been directed at me, instead of Bishop.

"I no longer have a base, thanks to your brother." Bishop says simply. "And gathering the victims up is part of my job.' He jutted his chin in my direction. "After your _mishap_, your _**friend**_ came to my base. It seemed he knew just how to get in. He asked for your whereabouts. Then proceeded to blow the damn place up. I assumed that he killed you by now, just as it is in his beliefs that he killed me."

"Yet, here we are." I countered. "So Phoenix survived as well."

"As did you. I figured that you would have an advantage with the rapid healing process your mutation displayed in my lab samples of your extracted DNA." Bishop commented.

"Isn't that touching?" Cut in Raphael. "Now, Bishop you got one second to give me a good reason not to kick your ass."

"Stand down, Raph. He isn't our enemy." I interjected, turning to give my brother an irritated look. One that was lost on him. Typical. He always has to make things more difficult then needed.

Raph sneered at my response and his hands gripped the handles of his sais, firmly. He was itching to use them.

"Funny. Cuz he sure as hell looks like one. As if building fucking bombs doesn't get ya on the list."

"A cure." Bishop said quietly and I almost missed what he said. The sharp retort I had for Raph died in the back of my throat. _Did he say a cure?_

'What?" Mikey prompted, stepping forward. His eyes were shinning. Full to the brim with hope.

I studied Bishop, untrustingly. No. Bishop wasn't my current enemy. But, he wasn't my friend either.

Bishop uncrossed his arms and placed his hands behind his back. "After the explosion, the government made it our number one priority to find cures for the lasting exposure of radiation. It made good use of our already in progress cures…"

My mouth went dry. "The last time we spoke..you said…"

"Come now, Leonardo. Don't be naive." Bishop said curtly. "I couldn't waste a simple antidote on you. It was a chance to see what your mutation would do. Frankly, we only had a small amount of samples prepared at the time. It was your error for your own miscalculations on the mixture. If you had used it like I had instructed then perhaps…"

His words hung in the air. They hit me full force and shock ran down my spine. He had an antidote..before I used the mixture…which means he was counting on causalities. He agreed to let me use the serum in order to test his antidote…

"You used me." I said finally, my voice laced with dark fury. "You agreed to my blowing up the city to test your theories! Innocent children died, Bishop!"

My voice echoed a note of hysteria in it. Bishop stared at me, impassively. "I do not need to defend myself. All I do is with a greater purpose. More lives will be saved in the future, when _real_ war breaks out. There is always a price to pay."

"You're insane." Raph spat out suddenly. "Killing kids is a greater good? Who the fuck wired your head?"

I couldn't help but agree with Raph, an eruption kept me from saying so. Bishop turned and I squinted in the headlight's glare. There was fire shooting up in the distance, giving the night sky an orange haze. Black smoke billowed up.

It was close. The storage units…Donnie…

"Don!" Mikey gasped, coming to the same conclusion, but I was already moving. I shot by Bishop, leaping onto the hood of his car and flipped over it. I landed in a crouching position on the other side.

A shadow fell over me and I looked up to see Don running towards me. Relief flooded my senses as I stood. He skidded to a halt in front of me. I could immediately tell there was something wrong. His eyes were expanded and his chest heaving. Sweat stuck to his neck and face. But before I could question him, his gaze slipped past me.

"Is that Bishop?"

Raphael and Mikey had come around the car with Bishop in tow. We all took a minute to stare at the fire, in awe.

"Uh Donnie, Bro. I think you didn't get that you were suppose to steal a car, not blow it up." Mikey mentioned.

"Damn straight." Agreed Raph, his eyes shinning brightly in the fire's glow.

"Oh..I forgot about the truck…" Don admitted, wheezing slightly. "I got a bit…distracted.."

"What happened?" Mikey wanted to know, but Don shook his head, eyes lingering on Bishop's form. "Later." He told the youngest turtle.

As much as I hated not being in the loop about something, I could hear sirens; soon this street would be swamped with people. Without transportation would be out in the open. That was not acceptable by any means.

"We have to move."

"If I may." Bishop opened door to his car. Raph's teeth bore at him.

.

"Ya gotta be joking? There ain't no way in hell I am getting in there."

"Get in the car, Raph." I snapped. "We need to get more information at the base."

"With Bishop…" Don even looked a bit hesitated about the situation. It went against all Splinter's Stranger Danger lessons.

"But he said his base was destroyed…" Mike began and I shook my head at him.

"Not that base. Bishop has a back-up one out the outskirts. Always prepared. Right, Bishop? " I said, eyeing the man in black.

Bishop gave me a tight smile. I had him. It bothered him that I knew. Well, good. Far as I was concerned he deserved to be in the hot seat. After what he did…after what I did….

I slid into the back seat with my brothers reluctantly following. "I don't like this shit.." Raph was growling under his breath as Bishop got in the front. The car's tires squealed as we reversed and shot out away from the crime scene.

"But he said he had a cure." Mikey prompted, trying to find something positive in this mess.

"A cure?" Don echoed, gripping his bag tightly with on hand. "That is good news. I will have to view the samples first. I still don't trust him."

No one could argue with that. And yes, a cure was great news. I should have been relieved and thrilled. Great news.

_Yet… _

Was it really? I mean, was any of this right? A cure forged on the deaths of others. _Good news?_ How could that be even close? How could Bishop sleep at night?

I gave my head a shake. I needed a cure. Bishop had just confirmed my worse fears that Phoenix was still out and alive in this world. My family wasn't going to be safe until I stopped him.

I tried to focus on that thought solely but another thought pricked at my conscience. _Why was Bishop even offering the cure to me this time?_ It had to be more then just curiosity about our mutation. I knew I should be a bit more at ease. A cure was a cure. I told myself, but really something else was disturbing me. Beside what Bishop had let slip of my involvement in his schemes….

"_There is always a price to pay." _Bishop had said. He was corrected there. Nothing appeared to be free in the world. Someone always gained some where. I thought, remotely.

So then, what is my price?


	63. Chapter 63

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: **

**Michaelanglo's POV**

I can't help remembering when we were young, how Master Splinter would read to us. He would always bring back ratty (excuse the punt) old books from various sites. Splinter was a firm believer in reading. Heck that was how we even got our awesome names. That old renaissance book he kept on the shelf in lair. Like a shrine to the past.

I still remember all the fairy tales we heard each night. "Robin Hood" was one of the best. I miss those days. I miss all sleeping together in the same room. As we got older we still read but we all drifted off to other subjects.

Don read tons! He dabs in a bit of everything, but it wasn't long before we saw books of similar background reanimating in his room. They were mainly in things like engineering and mathematics, which goes to prove he is a mutant. I mean, who can enjoy that?!

Raphael actually does read, but it is mainly in magazines. I haven't seen him read a full out novel in years. I think the last one could have been "Jurassic Park". Uh ew…As for the magazines, The topic is normally bikes and kick ass weapons in all their glory. Sometimes a sport magazine, but normally the T.V. was for that.

Leo reads just as much as Don. But, I've lost count on the different books circulating in that room. Not that I am ever in Leo's room very long. It is waaaaay too cold for my dainty skin. Leo reads a lot of strategy books, now that I think of it. He has one called, "On the Art of War" that he keeps on his desk 24/7! I think it is his Bible or something.

Oh, and I have caught him once using Don's chess set to practice different strategies. The guy likes to be three steps ahead of any one.

I wonder if I'm the only one who still reads "Robin Hood" and all. I guess I haven't change a whole lot. But even if Don refuses to admit it. You can still learn from comics. And I read a lot of comics. So trust me when I say this. Leo was exhibiting some extreme guilt/shame factors.

It is in every comic. Eventually the hero has a huge failure and goes postal on someone's poor ass. After this, they have a bit of a guilt and shame cycle going on. I am sure there is some 12 letter word for all this that Don would know but heck, I can never pronounce that stuff. To be honest, those who can must have practiced in front of a mirror or something….and I don't mean just Donnie.

In order words, Leo was acting depressed. He would get all up tight, do something crazy, so we would survive like shooting people (as scary as hell as that was) and now he was driving himself mentally into a corner for time out.

Yeah, that's right. It is a superhero thing. Hopefully, Don has picked it up as well. We needed to get Leo out of the cycle, along with the cure; it was the only way to bring him back to normal. I sure as shell did **NOT** want to see Leo like I had on the video. Ever. Again.

I glanced at my genius brother out of the corner of my eye. It wasn't hard to do because I was crushed in-between him and Raph. Raph had beaten me to sitting next to Leo. Go figure. Though I guess it could be worse. I could be sitting on Raph's lap.

Donnie was ghostly pale and looked like he was considering vomiting. He had a death grip on the strap of his bag and his eyes were glued to the dark window. Then again, it looked like Don had some other things on that Big Brain of his other then Leo. But, he would notice.

What was up with him? Motion sickness? That could be it. The back seat was like sitting in a vice. I think Raph needs to back off the chips. I glanced at my red wearing brother next to me, who was glaring at the back of Bishop's head, and wondered if he had noticed Don's or Leo's dispositions.

I seriously doubt that. Raph barely noticed stuff like that until it hit the fan, so to speak. He wasn't enlightened to the realm of comics or long and tortuously big, psychology books, so he was in the dark. It was all pretty much black and white for Raphie.

As if to prove my point, Raph suddenly reached out grasping Leo's knee, who in turn gave a jolt, as Raph leaned over to whisper to the leader. I made a face. _Now what?_

"So how ya feeling? Like the ride?" Raph snarled and Leo gave him a blank look in return. As if to ask, "_What is with you"?_ A common thought around Raph, believe me. 

"Good? Like a trip to the farm, right?" Raph asked and went on before Leo could response. " Or does it feel like we are sitting in a car with a murdering whack bag? Cuz I'm getting that vibe."

_And here we go. _

"And what do you want me to do?' Leo hissed back as he glared at the turtle next to him "He has a cure. I have to take this shot."

"I'm just warning ya, that when all this is over. I'm gonna beat the shit outta ya for this." Raph remarked, his eyes almost glowing.

I almost smiled. Aw. Raphael. The romantic at heart. Leonardo, however, rolled his eyes at Raph and reached for his hand, obviously to remove it from his knee. But Raph had already let go and snatched Leo's wrist. Their eyes were locked.

_Uh oh._

"Dudes. Not the ideal spot for a rumble.' I gestured to the enclosed space, but I was ignored. How they do that, is beyond me.

"We do NOT have time for this." Leo began, his eyes flaring in annoyance.

"I'm just letting ya know. Ya wanna play all these games, and then we will play games." Raph said, nonchalantly.

My own eyes widen. I was pretty sure that Raph's words had a double meaning to them from the way he spoke them. I felt a shiver shot down my spine and I stared at Leo's face. He didn't look to please and Raph, he looked enraged. Like he was planning on proving a point.

Don leaned forward around me and cleared his throat, breaking up a possibly steaming situation regardless of who was driving the car.

"Okay, so he has a cure? What does he want though?" Don's voice was casual but he was shooting icy darts at Raphael, who let go of Leo. He was still bit pale, but at least he looked more focus. Maybe Raph's hot headedness can do some good? Who knew?

Leo's eyes remain on Raph for a moment longer before being aimed at the turtle next to me.

"I am sure we are about to find out, Don. But, I am prepared to do what is needed. Phoenix is extremely dangerous. We need every advantage we can get…"

"That's what I was afraid of." Muttered Don, shaking his head at our leader.

Whatever was going to be said after that was cut short because the car pulled into an old garage. It looked like it used to be a mechanic shop but had been let go, judging by the dust and cobwebs. Raph grimaced at them. I would have made a punt at him about spiders if it had not been for the large door slid down behind us, with a bang.

"Nice place, Bishop. I think it's an improvement." Raph grumbled with a sneer.

"Hold that thought." Bishop said as he pulled down his visor and punched a code onto a clipped on remote. The whole garage trembled and then the floor began to lower, revolving as it did so. Us along with it. Perfect. Nothing like being lowered in Dr. Frankenstein's lab.

Another opening appeared and we drove through it, following an under ground tunnel. As soon as our car left the platform, it raised back up into the old garage above. Nice hide out really. I give it a three.

'Great. We just got sealed into a fucking crypt." Raph muttered, darkly looking back over his shoulder to see out the rear window of the car. Hmmmm. Sounds like a possible one from Raph.

"Relax." Bishop said as we pulled over and he opened his door stepping out. "I have no reason to harm you…"

The way he let it hang suggested that he was thinking of adding on the word "yet." But he left up to my over active imagination to feel in the blanks. We got out and followed him down a lit path into what looked like a crazy science lab. I glanced behind me at Don who seemed to be taking inventory of the place.

Bishop headed over to a shelf and selected a vial and handed it out to Leo. "Here." Was all he said. Leo didn't move. Now of us did. According to my turtle sense, it felt like a trap.

"What's the catch?' Leo asked, arms crossed. International body language for intimation, at its best on Leo….Gah. Please, don't let this go down badly. I thought.

"No, catch. But I will remind you of our previous arrangement. I do expect you to honor it." Bishop stated, simply. "You may think of this as a down payment."

_Previous arrangement?_

"You want me to go after Phoenix." Leo asked, even though we all knew the answer. So there it was. Plain as day. Bishop was charging for his cures and with interest.

"No hell way…" Raph started but Leo nodded, reaching for the vial. "I don't think that will conflict with my current plans.'

Don step out from behind us, grabbing the vial from Bishop before Leo could. "Now, hold on a second. How do we know this is legitimate? What proof can you offer?"

Bishop nodded to his lab, eyes locked on Donnie. "Test it. Be my guest."

Good old Don. He arched an eye ridge at Bishop and headed over to the computers. Leo was frowning after him. He probably didn't think we had time for this but Bishop had pulled one over on him already, so he didn't complain.

I wish I could say it is exciting to watch Don work, but Splinter gets pissed when I lie. I thought my brain was going into a vegetable state. It was the boredom of all boredoms! Plus, we got banished to the other side of the lab. Apparently, hovering behind Don's shoulder and asking questions as he is working is _distracting._ After what seemed like a life time, Don reemerges.

'It has to be given intravenously." He held up a syringe and my eyes instantly confirmed that it was a big ass needle and I moved behind Leo on reflex. Leo stood up from the table he had been leaning on.

"How fast?'

Don eyed him for a moment. "Once this starts. It will get ugly." Don's eyes moved to Bishop. "I took the liberty of scanning your systems on this Phoenix. You believe he is still within this city?"

"Reasonably." Bishop confirmed.

"I do too. I had run in with Frost while at the storage unit." Don said it like it was nothing but it couldn't have been further then from the truth.

"You what?"

"Frost?!"

"A run in? Why the fuck didn't you say something?"

Our voices echoed in the lab as we all erupted. Don shook his head at us continuing, loudly to shut us back up.

"She had been affected by the radiation as well. She was trying to burn units that contain operations information. I managed to gather some documents before the place burned down."

"Wait. What happened to Frost?" Leo demanded, not missing a beat. Not that Leo missed many beats to begin with. Then again, there was this shame cycle….

'She…didn't make it out." Don said, slowly. That hung in the air for a moment. I wasn't quite sure how I should be feeling. Sure I hated Frost, but death by fire didn't sound like the best way to go out.

"We need to go after Phoenix." Don locked eyes with Leo again. "But, with out you."


	64. Chapter 64

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: Wrote this chapter eight different ways….gah…**

**Raphael's POV**

_**And here we go again.**_

That pretty much sums up what entered my mind as soon as those words shot from Don's mouth. Leo looked like Don had just told him Bishop was his daddy or something. Disbelief was etched in every line on his face.

Yeah, Leo was about to go apeshit on Donnie. But the fact was that Donnie wasn't wrong. I had been thinking along the same line. After what had happened at the gas station, I had realized that Leo was very different now. Sometime had happened that made him snap. Who knew what he do in a fight. Plus, the guy looked like shit anyways.

"You can't expect me to sit here…"

"Yes, I do." Don interrupted Fearless, sternly. He wasn't messing around with this. He was pulling all punches. "You're system will have to detoxify the chemicals from your system. The breaking of those compounds could make you fatigue. Something you do not need while fighting maniacs."

Leo worked his jaw, obviously looking for a crack in Don's statement. Mikey was hovering by Leo's shoulder looking anxious. This whole situation was pretty fucking awkward. When the two strategists didn't agree, things never were peachy after wards.

"I'm not sure I like leaving Leo here while he is sick either." Mikey pointed out, casting a sideways glance at our host. Mikey was right there. Bishop would probably want to take samples and make a symptom chart on Leo for the "greater good" shit.

"Then perhaps one of us should stay with Leo.." Don said, pacing a little. Don liked to have all the angles cut and tucked. One of the few things that I think him and Leo see eye to eye on when they are planning crap. Personally, this stuff makes my palms itch. Better to hit something and be done with it in my book.

"Hang on! I want a say in this!" Leo snapped, his face becoming flushed as his cool began to unravel. Something I normally cherished to watch, but right now it was just another act to clue us in that Leo wasn't being himself.

"You guys are not going after them without me! Especially only two of you! Give me the injection and let's get this over with and then we will go!"

"hmmm…."Don went on as if Leo hadn't spoken at all. Ya got to hand it to Don sometimes. He could be even more annoying then Mikey. You wouldn't think the mutant would have it in him.

"I think Mikey should stay." Don looked over at me to see if I agreed. I didn't much care. I just wanted something decided. Plus, I figured that I did owe Phoenix an ass kicking. Guess Leo would have to wait for his.

"Or how about this? I don't take the stuff and I go now." Cut in Leo, heading over to Bishop who looked like all this arguing was highly unprofessional for his kind. He had moved over to a large screen computer and appeared to be ignoring our existence.

"Like you're any condition to fight." Remarked Donnie, looking Leo up and down.

"Didn't stop me before." Leo's tone was nothing but ice and he shot Don a look of pure wrath. Don paused for a moment to swallow. He knew he was swimming in dangerous waters now. Don never did well emotional when we all fought with each other. He was sensitive to a degree. Like Mikey.

Looks like I gotta help the guy out.

"Yo, Captain Secrets. We got this. Just take your meds like a good little mutant." I swaggered over to the turtle and Mikey made a slight strangling noise in the back of his throat. It seemed he didn't think that was a wise catch phrase to say. Like I would give a fuck.

Leo's eyes burned into me. "That is NOT going to happen." His tone sent a chill down my spine and for a moment I gaped at him. A little taken back by the venom. I have pissed Leo off through out my life. You can pretty much set your watch to our fights. But I had never heard him speak to me in that voice. It was dark...

Mikey even took a step back from him. Leo sounded completely dangerous. We all were wondering about his mental state for a spell. He was pale still, but he looked like he could rip us apart with his eyes alone.

Why the fuck was he acting like this? Sure. I get he must have been screwed up, _but this?_ What the hell did they do to him? My eyes narrowed. Still, he was challenging me. I had to stop him.

However, the moment soon passed when a siren began to wail. Leo spun around to the sound. Mikey threw his hands up to grip either side of his head. I just bared my teeth letting the noise wash over me. It echoed through out the complex.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Mikey hollered at Donnie, who was staring over at Bishop. "Sounds like an alert of some sort."

"WHAT?" Mikey yelled back.

"AN ALERT!" Don boomed and rolled his eyes.

Bishop turned back to look at us from the screen he had previous gazing at. His voice was even and yet we were still able to make out the words as he spoke them clearly.

'What ever you are planning on doing, do it now. Looks like we were followed."

_Followed?_

I had barely time to absorb that fucking nugget of knowledge, when Don shot by me, syringe in one hand and bo staff in the other. I would be able to recall the scene weeks later, it would be frozen in my brain.

It was the summit towards hell. There was no going back. Gravity was a bitch.

Leo had been in mid turn, his senses still picking up the fact that he was being rushed. He was too good sometimes. I saw a flicker of the bo staff in his eyes, as he reached for it, taking a firm hold and stopping its momentum. It would have cracked his jaw if he hadn't.

What he hadn't counted on was Don letting go of the staff, he went for Leo's thigh with the syringe. Leo's mouth parted as it bit into the skin, he dropped the staff and shoved Don back. The staff clattered loudly on the floor.

Don landed on his shell, syringe gleaming in between his fingers. It was empty. Don got to his feet, slowly. Leo stared at him for a moment, a look of flat out antipathy.

Pure aggression on display.

"You'll thank me some day." Don said, simply, averting his eyes from Leo's gaze. Leo didn't say a word, just pierced him with his eyes, even when he went down, his gaze never left Don.

Mikey caught our leader and for a second in time we all stood there in a semi-circle around them. I wasn't quite sure what to think. Don had just literally taken Leo out of play. Just like that. It was more then just a bit psychotic. Maybe I was in fucking shock…

Then Mikey lifted the silence. He looked up at Donnie, his blue eyes, huge and filled with awe at the same time.

"We have _**got **_to talk about you and your injections tactics later."


	65. Chapter 65

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: The Summit…**

**Donatello's POV**

I couldn't get my pulse to slow. I couldn't believe what I had done! Was I crazy?! Sure, I had gone for the thigh due to the fact that it absorbs an injection into the blood system quicker due to cell count. But, I had still done it knowing that he was against it. He was going to hate me for this.

At the same time, my brain kept reminding me that it was a logical outcome. The best I could come up with under all the pressure. I had to remove Leo from this fight and had to start the cure process. It was vital that he did not end up like Frost. I couldn't bare it.

It was a logical choice. I kept thinking, rapidly. Leo was being irrational. He couldn't risk this. He couldn't, heaven forbid, wait it out! Time wasn't going to stop! In fact, fighting in his current condition would only accelerate the symptoms! There were too many variables. I had done the right thing! I knew I did!

_Then why did I feel like I was the one who felt like I had just cut down my brother in the back?_

Was it the way he glared at me after wards? The way he refused to speak? The way the hatred brimmed into his eyes. Words were wasted on me? No, perhaps his jaw was clamping due to the antidote. I was trying not to over think this, but failing miserably. His eyes told me that they hated me. I thought, feeling the cold set in on the pit of my stomach. I knew it. I shivered. I had to stop panicking.

It didn't help with the way Raph, Mikey and heck even Bishop was staring at me. I had surprised them all. It was what I had been calculating on. My acts had to be startling enough to infiltrate Leo's defense and the fact that Leo was already in a weaken state to stop me proved that he wasn't capable of a fight right now.

"We have _**got **_to talk about you and your injections tactics later." Mikey's voice cut through my thoughts and even that frantic siren. He was sitting there holding Leo in his lap, like a child would with their prized possession and I was instantly reminded why I had done all this in the first place.

I wasn't letting Leo die. One way or another. If he was irritated when he awoke? Then so be it. I would face it then. I pushed all my rambling thoughts to the back of my mind. Once it was clear, I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes.

Thinking aside. I told myself. Then I opened my eyes focusing on Bishop.

Now was the time to act.

"I need a direct and secure way to get Leo and Mikey out of here." I said to the agent, who was busy arming himself now that the moment of craziness had passed. He eyed me, distrusting. I didn't blame him. It was not my day.

"You running away was not part of the deal." He stated his monotone voice barely above normal range.

I gripped my bo staff tightly to remain calm. This was not a time for panic. I had to keep things moving. "Who said we were? I just want my brothers out."

Bishop studied me as if he was trying to think of how he could come out on top in the current situation. I didn't have time for that. I needed answers.

"Look, you are under attack. You either helped my brothers escape and I will stay behind and aid you or I'll just leave."

Bishop rose what looked like a standard SSAR-15 SBS military issued rifle and pointed it at me. "You wouldn't just leave."

_Dammit. _

"You do NOT; I repeat, DO NOT want to fight two enemies at once in this lab." I pressed, a vein appearing on my forehead as I forced my voice out steadily. I could feel Raph shifting next to me and prayed he would stay put for a moment longer.

Bishop considered this, precious time ticking away, and then turned towards another agent who was posted at the door in all out black ops get up.

"Cain." Bishop called and the man stood erect. "Sir." His voice came out deep from under his helmet.

"Take the mutants to the back route. Give them a vehicle and report back stat! Clear?"

"Clear." Cain responded, moving towards Mikey and Leo, but Raph blocked his path. "And no funny business, Cain or you will be eating that helmet." He growled, sinisterly.

Normally, I don't approve of Raph's threatening methods, but I thought it was a nice touch. Crazy, since the man was armed with a high powered gun, but nice nether the less.

Cain nodded and moved past Raph, unimpressed. Mikey got to his feet; he and Cain supported Leo between them.

"You guys, please be careful." Mikey pleaded. He looked like he was torn about leaving, but we all knew that we couldn't leave Leo lying on the floor.

"We will be fine. Get out. I want you to keep circling around the city on the east side. Don't come any where close to here. If we don't make contact in two hours head home…" I instructed Mikey.

"Two hours…got it." Mikey said out loud, and then gave a weak toothy grin. "I will see you guys then."

Raph and I watched them move out towards the back entrance. Once the door slide shut, then I return my sights back to Bishop. "Now tell me. What do we have to work with and how long before the breach?"

"Two minutes. My men up top are trying to hold them back. It is not just Phoenix. He has a ton of reinforcement." Bishop said nodding to the monitor. I could see dark and blurry images of ninjas dancing around on the screen attacking agents. There was going to be a lot of causalities on both sides.

"They haven't reached the mechanism to lower the garage yet." I muttered more to myself then to the others. "Do you have any sentry guns?"

Bishop nodded. "I have four. Two stationed at both entrance. However, this is not just a normal lab. This is on nuclear warfare level. This complex can not be taken. The research alone would set us back years."

"Not interested in your stinking research as much as not blowing up." Raph mentioned eyes on the door. No one disagreed with him there.

'We have to stop them from getting down here. This place needs to be evacuated of all chemicals." I said.

"What is the plan?' Raph said, bluntly. Raph always hated to wait. I frowned at him, and then peered at the screen, quiet for a moment. I could do this. I just needed a second to think. I needed to weigh the odds. I turned back to Raph, my eyes sparked as a plan took form.

"We need to lure them away from here…."


	66. Chapter 66

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

**A/N: A very short, but a significant Chapter. **

**Leonardo's POV**

As I hit the floor, chemicals surging around in my veins, all I could do was stare. Emotions popped up, feinting through my mind before I could get a proper grasp on them. A horrifying realization was sinking in.

_They were leaving me behind. _

**No!**

I felt darker emotions take a hold of me. I had ever right to be upset. My brothers seem to think I was unable to meet the bar, so to speak. They didn't understand. They didn't know what the enemy was capable. I knew! I could fight with them…why? Why did he do that?

My brain couldn't keep up as all the thought piled up in my skull. This was crazy…all of this…I managed to think. Maybe I am losing my mind….maybe I am too sick….but they couldn't do this! This wasn't how things were planned to go down!

This was more then a game of cat and mouse. This was our family… my family..divided….how could they fight this alone? I tried to warn them….but….

_They didn't listen!_

Don was speaking to me, but his words were lost in the own buzzing noise in my head. It wouldn't have matter anyways. He had stolen my chance for redemption. Words were not going to bring it back. It was too late….

Fear cradled against me. I hated being helpless. I hated not being involved…I hated that they were leaving me…I hated that they could get hurt and I wasn't there to watch their backs….

Oh shell….what if…I lived and they died!? Didn't they understand how meaningless my existence would be with out them? No! They weren't going to die! They couldn't!

My eyes locked on Mikey as he lifted my head, staring down at me with large eyes. He must have caught me and Raph looked stunned, standing still in the corner of my eye. _They didn't know._ I thought as I gazed back at them unable to do anything else. They didn't know Donnie was going to do that. Do this... He didn't tell them….

_Welcome to my world._

My joints were completely locked up and I could feel a shroud of iciness creeping slowly up my spine to the base of my neck. In a few seconds I would be out. This could be the last moment with my brothers and I couldn't do a single thing to aid them.

In fact, I had significantly burdening them because now they would split up to get me out of the building. What had I done….how did things get so out of control? All my training had failed in the long shot. Everything wasted.

There had to be a way out of this…there has to be a way to help them….if only I could think…I could plan something….I am so tired….I failed…again…

They were all standing around me, looking down. Don, Raph, and Mikey. I could see the determinate expressions they each had. They suddenly looked strong and mature, even Mikey. Did they change? How did I miss that? I studied them for a moment as my brain functions slowed down.

_No..This wasn't how it was planned, but they were ready….they would do what ever it took…_I realized. The edges of my eyesight drew darker by the moment. As I focused on my brothers' faces, it was as if a small cloth had been lifted from my mind. All my inner turmoil was darted aside.

I knew what I could do…I knew what my priority was now. It didn't matter how the situation came to be. It was here full blown and in all its glory. I couldn't waste what was given to me anymore. I released the breath I had been holding and I let my eyes slide shut and uttered a silent prayer…the last coherent thought I could muster as I plunged into the void of darkness that beckoned me.

_Please…. Keep…them….safe…_


	67. Chapter 67

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…

A/N: Let it loose…..

Michaelanglo's POV

I am pretty sure that there are times to panic and I am almost positive that this wasn't one of them. I mean, I totally wanted to. I mean what the heck, Donnie?! He could have at least given a tad bit of a warning, worn a cow bell or anything! A "hey, I'm gonna stab Leo with this" update would have worked in my book even.

The guy seemed to be going medieval anymore.

Now, I was knee deep in wicked madness and it was sure as shell rising to chest level. I was having to trust a dude that I had never met and carry an unconscious brother to who knows where. Guess I'll just hope for the best, yeah?

Cain and I…(by the way what kind of name is Cain? It sounds like a malfunctioning weapon…) were scurrying down the back hall with Leo completely out in between us. This brings me to a whole new point.

_Have you ever tried to run sideways carrying a turtle?_

It isn't pretty. No grace included. I guess I shouldn't complain though. Leo really isn't that heavy luckily. Dude! Can you imagine me trying to do this with Raph!? Now that would seriously suck! Not that Raph is really fat...he is just big...well, maybe a little chucky...Well, Count your blessings…am I right? That thought would have normally made me smile in all this chaos, but luckily I was too busy making sure that Bishop's buddy wasn't planning on turning on me around the next bend.

As we came out into another underground garage, because apparently having grease stained hide-outs were helping Bishop keep his manhood or something, the whole place gave a violent shudder that sent us toppling sideways into a wall. There a rather nasty smack as my head collided and I grunted as Cain and Leo landed on my stomach.

Cain's helmet gave a rap as his face hit the back of Leo's shell. I bet he was glad he was wearing his protective head gear. We sat in a pile for a spat, trying to regain our composure. I took a moment to over come the stars that were flickering around in my own head. I felt insanely tired and for a split second I thought I wasn't going to get back up. I guess all this running for our lives business is taking its toll on me.

Cain pushed himself up, gripping Leo's arm to tug him off of me. I blinked looking up at the commando. I was seeing double. I squinted until the image melted into one person again. Well, so far so good. I braced myself against the wall and then got up, regarding him. If he had wanted to, he could have taken me out right then and there, but he just stood there. Waiting.

"So…is that like a normal thing here? Random earthquakes?" I asked him, trying to bring the situation down a notch.

Cain waited until we lifted Leo back up to respond. "It means that the other lift is operating. But someone must have pulled the plug, it cut off quite early."

"You guys got all this money and science and you can't figure out a way to not get the building to shake when you use your elevators? That sucks." I mentioned thoughtful.

Cain glanced in my direction but whatever reply he had in mind, he must have thought better of it. He guided us over to a jet black humvee. One of the thirty that appeared to be lined up along the wall. I studied it.

"Hmm, got anything in green?"

"I'll help you load up your brother and then I have to get back to the lab." Cain said simply. "The keys are kept in the ignition."

"Aren't you afraid of theft?" I muttered, as I pulled open the front door, awkwardly. I wasn't sure taking this vehicle was a smart move. It wasn't very subtle. But at the same time, it could probably get me out of a jam. It was big enough to run over who got in my way.

I glanced in side and gave a gasp. There was a LOT of buttons. All begging me to push them.. I gave my head a shake to focus. And to remind myself this wasn't something made by Donnie. A button pushed in this vehicle may kill the cat….or turtle in my case.

Once we managed to stow Leo away safely in the front seat. I turned to the agent. He handed me a remote thingy. It was slender and of course black. I think Bishop is obsessed with that shade of color. "For the door." He explained. "Good luck."

"Same." I answered. He wasn't half bad guy. Why the heck was he working with someone like Bishop? Didn't he know that Bishop was a bad guy at least fifty percent of the time? Maybe sixty?

He turned a jogged back down the hall, disappearing from view and I was left to my unanswered thoughts. Oh well. Ya win some, ya lose some. I shut Leo's door and went to my side and clamored in. As I pulled the door closed and set the remote on the dashboard I surveyed my surrounds.

I bet you Donnie would totally be green to be here. I thought glancing at all the dials and buttons. It looks like Bishop upgraded all his military vehicles. But as long as it has a wheel, we were good. I turned the keys and the humvee gave a purr as it came to life.

I peered at Leo, who had his head back, mouth parted as he breathed. Hoped he was having some kick ass dreams. I reached over and buckled him in. "Alright, bro." I said out loud, gripping the cool steering wheel.

"This could get messy, but here we go."

I shifted into gear and edged forward. "I sure as shell hope this isn't a set up."

I realized right away my slip up. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have given a voice to my fears, I felt a chill of fear settling around me. Shit. What if this was? What if I am driving into an ambush? What if this thing is set to freakin self-destruct mode?!

I took a couple of deep breaths. Relax. I scolded myself. We were going to make it through this. We simply had to. We had come so far not to. I did my best to ignore the nasty doubt in the base of my skull as I drove out of the garage and onto the main roads. I just had to do my part in this plan.

I loosen my death grip on the wheel. Yeah. Just follow the plan...how hard could that be? I followed a heck more complicated plans then this all the time. I mean, it didn't take much to think up for me to drive around in a nice tank of a car with an unconscious brother. How could I mess it up? A Mikey-proof plan. No problem.

I had only went about six blocks when it became a problem. A monster of one. At first, I was unaware of what was happening. It was like it just didn't dawn on me. When I finally put two and two together, I was struck by another panic attack. This wasn't part of Donnie's plan…

Leo was having a seizure.


	68. Chapter 68

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: Toil and Trouble…..

Raphael's POV

Personally, this whole planning procedure sucks. There is too much time spent on the "ifs" and the "buts." I don't think there is enough butt kicking involved. Now I am an "end justifies the means" kind of guy. I don't care what the fuck has to be done to get the end results. So thinking what happens after ya punch some guy doesn't quite register to me. Just get it the fuck done. Punch his fucking lights out. Easy, clean and fast.

I could make a commercial supporting that shit.

I wasn't sure if Don's plan was solid to begin with, but went with it. I really didn't trust Bishop and all. I didn't like leaving Leo and Mikey. I didn't like any of this shit. But, this wasn't the time to argue. There was a lot of shit on the line. I was determined that we were all gonna walk the fuck away from this all this. And then…Leo's ass was mine.

Period.

I followed my genius brother as we crawled through the ventilation shaft. Not much style. In fact, it fucking sucked eggs. But, Don had insisted that Bishop jam the elevator to buy time, so here we were scooting around in dusts and who the fuck knows what else. I was trying not to think about that. I was trying to see the upside to this. I figured though this way, I could jump out and scare the shit out of some ninjas before I pummeled them. So there was that little bonus.

Don paused and I frowned as I bumped into him, "Can ya go any slower, Brainiac? We could reach them next month. No hurry."

Don ignored me, peering through a grate. "This is our stop, Hot head."

I waited but he still didn't move. Ya kidding me? What was up with the slow mode? "We going in or not?" I demanded.

"This isn't right." Don replied. I waited again for him to explain but he kept searching for whatever that wasn't "right' and didn't elaborate. I hate being ignored. Just as much as I hate waiting.

"What the fuck isn't right? What the hell does that mean?" I blurted out. I was getting anxious now. I wanted the hell out of here. I wanted to beat the shit out of the people who hurt my family and here Sloth Donnie was blocking my way.

He practically flew through the shaft like a bat out of hell and now he was just sitting getting on my nerves. First, he drugs Leo. Next, he blackmails Bishop. Now, I was trapped in a confined space staring at his butt and he wanted to pay his little word games! Now?! What the hell?!

"That is strange…I don't see him…" Don was saying, making every second worse. That was it. I was about ready to shove him through the grate and fuck stealth. But, I gave him one last chance to tell me what the hell was on his mind.

"For fuck sake! I can't see a damn thing! Stop with the damn cryptic messages and move the fuck out of my way!" I hissed at him. He finally turned a little to shot me a look. Glad he realizes I still exist. Dickweed.

"It is Phoenix. He isn't here. Just his goons." Don snapped at me.

My fist tighten as I glared back at him. "So what? Let's do this." I growled.

"You don't get it! If I had found out that the person who ruined everything for me was here, I wouldn't send my men. I would want to get him personally." Don explained as I shifted, uncomfortably. I didn't like where he was heading with this.

"What the fuck are ya getting out? Phoenix is a damn fucking assbag coward! He is scared liver shit of Leo. Simple as that. That's why he sent Frost the first time. Now fucking move!"

Don kept his eyes level with me and I could tell he wasn't buying it. He was gonna complicate this with his big brain of his and give me a hell of a headache to boot. I clenched my teeth as he inhaled.

"Frost is dead. How did Phoenix know we where hear to begin with? He is following us around another way…Something is not adding up here. I don't like this…." Don stopped suddenly, eyes snapping towards the grate. "Looks like some of our friends are heading this way, since they can't go down."

Typical ninja. When in doubt, use the ventilation shaft. Don leaned back on his shell and brought his feet back to his chest. His intent was plain. I felt a sneer curl my lips. About time. Now I would get some action.

I felt my breathing quicken as We both waited until a shadow fell onto the grate and made our move in the game. It was perfect. Donatello flexed his legs and his feet plowed the grate into some poor ass's face. He pushed out shooting through the opening and sending ninjas sprawling. I didn't hesitate after him. Once my feet touched the ground, my fist connected with a skull and I never felt better.

I darted after Donnie as he sped through the crowds of stunned idiots. We made it out with them following. Don took a sharp right, hitting the streets. I felt irritation again. I wanted to just stop and take them head on, but Don said to get them away from the lab. Then we could keep them busy. We flew through dark alley ways and along shadowy fences our feet barely touching the cement.

But Don didn't stop. The dumbass just kept running. I snarled and picked up my pace to run along side with him. "Donnie, What the fuck are you doing?" I shouted at him as we rounded another corner ninjas hot on our trails.

"This isn't right…." Was all he said. The fuck if it is. This was completely right. Beating the snot of these fools was so right I could make anyone a believer. Except Don.

"Why? What the fuck isn't right? We can't run forever!"

"WE have to find Phoenix, Raph. He is the real problem. Not the morons behind us. Damn…I think I made a mistake…"

The words almost made me miss a step. Mistake? Did he just say mistake? I focused on his face. He didn't look nearly as calm as he sounded. He looked livid. Not a good sign….Don always get pissed when he screws up and that wasn't very often…

"What is it?" I asked, pumping my arms to keep up as we flew towards the other side of the building. We were running in a circle…..why would he head to the back…unless…

"It's Mikey…" I whispered. "You think he followed Mikey?"

"I don't know…I have this feeling…" Don huffed, but his eyes were wide. He was freaking. This was bad.

"Call him. Call Mikey." I yelled, glancing over my shoulder back at the ninjas. They were still giving chase, which meant they had knew Leo wasn't at the lab….they were waiting for us. It had been a set up, just like I had feared it would be. Either Bishop or one of his men betrayed us. It didn't really matter who, they were all on my hit list.

Motherfuckers.

Donnie stopped short as a group of ninjas barged out in front of us, blocking our path. I skidded to a stop next to him as we were circled. I glared at the group, pulling out my sais. But the ninjas didn't jump as yet they were waiting….for the command….their signal…

Fuck.

"Donnie….you need to warn Mikey.." I told my brother as we backed up to each other, our shells colliding. Mikey needed to get as far as away from here as he could. Phoenix was gunning for him.

"I should have seen this coming….Why didn't I? I made a mistake…" Don said back, in an unbelieving tone. I bared my teeth. Yeah. He did. But I didn't give a shit about that now. I needed Don to stay with me on this one.

I elbowed him and he grunted. "Shut up and listen! Get to Mikey. I will hold them off."

"What?! Are you crazy?"

"So I have been told." I reminded him, eyeing the ninjas. I could feel the tension in the air. They were going to spring at us any moment. I would give Don an opening…

"Raph, you can't fight them by yourself!" Don was saying in my ear, but I tuned him out.

"Ready?"

"Raph….."

"Donnie, I swear, if you don't fucking move, I will kick your skinny ass myself!" I roared at him suddenly, my knuckles turning white as I gripped my sais.

I felt him staring at me and I spared him a glance, his expression was solemn. He knew the importance of all this, but he also knew that we were in a fucking rat hole and this was the only way out. He nodded. "I will come back for you."

Whatever. I thought, blood rushing in my ears. I was ready for this. I needed this fight. I had to get the building rage that oozed through my system out. I shot my heated gaze at the ninjas. What were they waiting for?

That's when I heard it. A noise I would recognize anywhere. A noise that would echo in my brain for years to come. A noise that I had heard often in the dark nights when we were kids. A scream. It was high pitched and filled with terror. It was distant, a few blocks at the most.

My eyes expanded and Don turned to meet my gaze. Our breathing had stopped as the scream went silent. It had sinisterly clear what had happened. I felt like my blood was curling downward into the pit of my stomach. I could tell that Don was feeling the same thing as his face paled. When we finally spoke, it was at the same time.

"Mikey."

And that was when the ninjas made their move, coming to life, they reacted and leapt at us. Blades gleamed in the darkness. Deadly posed. My muscles tensed as we collided and a cold grip of realization sunk into my heart.

They had heard their signal.


	69. Chapter 69

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: Full speed ahead...

Donatello's POV

Things were too far gone to get them back now. We were screwed, both Raph and I knew it. The odds were completely against. A million to one. I knew the math….I knew the science….But that didn't stop us from fighting. The scream of my baby brother shattered all thoughts, except one.

Survival.

I wasn't going to die this way. I wasn't going to let that maniac win. I wasn't going to let my brothers down. Raph had flung himself into battle next to me and he wasn't holding back this time. Blood soon laced his emerald skin and cries of ninjas could be heard in the night. If anyone happened upon us by mistake, have mercy on them.

I pushed through the ninjas, creating a path to get towards the scream. Mikey was somewhere up ahead. He was in trouble and I had to get to there. They were counting on me. A flicker of fear touched my soul at the thought of leaving Raph alone before, but now, I pitied the ninjas who were alone with him. I had to trust that Raph knew what he was doing. Raph was strong. I would be back. I told myself. I would be back.

I rushed through knocking anyone who dared step in my way to the earth again. My eyes kept scanning up ahead. Where were they? Where was my brothers?

I knew I was growing desperate. Anxiety rose up into my chest and I felt the familiar trickle of panic clinging to each breath I took. Where were they….I had to find them….I inhale ducking a ninja and took him out with a neat drive to the gut and kept moving.

Up a head I spotted a large black humvee idling in a side parking spot on the street. If that didn't scream Bishop, I didn't know what did. I sprinted to it and noticed the passenger door was ajar. I looked inside, but it was empty.

However, there was a bullet embedded in the passenger window. My heart began to pound in my chest. Someone had tried to shoot them, but the bullet proof window had stopped them…why would Mikey get out of the car….something had happened…

As I glanced into the backseat, I got my answer. A ninja laid in the back seat, half slumped on the floor. The fabric of his mask was dark with blood. He was still breathing. Mikey's work….but then what had happened…I turned back to the street my eyes lingering on ground…blood. Someone had been hurt…

My eyes fell on the tires….one, the driver side had been blown out. Someone had shot out a tire. That had to be why Mikey had went on foot…but where did he go…I followed the blood squinting in the darkness.

I began whispering frantically under my breath as I did so, a constant prayer. "Please let them be alright. Please let them be alright. Please let them be alright."

I ended up in an alleyway and stopped cold at the sight in front of me. Mikey was sitting there, crying softly, rocking on his back and forth on his knees. I gasped, running forward to grasp him. He screamed and swung wildly at me. I felt the sting as his fist slammed into my cheek and I fell onto my bottom. He was on his feet nunchuck in hand bearing down on me.

"Mikey! Its me!" I cried out, putting up a hand to defend myself. Mikey froze at my voice. "Donnie?" He whispered, large tears spilling from his eyes. I noticed a deep bruise forming around his left eye and a cut on his chin.

"Is that you? I thought…" He sat down heavily, dropping his nun chuck by his knees. I could see the dark blood covering the end of it. Oh shell…

"Of course, it is me..Mikey…What happened?" I asked, crawling over to him. "Where's Leo?'

"He is with me…." Mikey said quietly. I moved so I could look behind him. Sure enough, Leo laid against the wall, covered in blood and he wasn't alone. Phoenix was at his feet. His body a bloody mess. I couldn't covered the shock look plastered on my face even if I had wanted to. I knew right then and there why Mikey's weapon was so bloody. Mikey nodded his eyes locked on me.

"I know..isn't it awful? I killed him." He said, his voice barely above a whisper and then he began to cry all over again.

I couldn't answer him…not even close. I stared at him too shock to understand his words._ Kill? _Mikey had killed someone…my gah. What had I done? What foolish position had I put my baby brother into? I closed my eyes for a moment to regain my composure. Mikey put his face down into his hands, his shoulders shaking.

I stared at him unsure of how to console him , so I moved around him tending to Leo…he had several open wounds on his face, chest, and arms. Gosh. What had happened? As I touched his face, Leo's eyes flickered open and I felt the intense power of his gaze once again. It forced me to swallow and withdraw my hand. He didn't utter a word.

"He kept shaking! I had to pull over…I thought he would hurt himself…" Mikey was saying into between sobs behind me. "And there he was…just popped out of no where…"

"It's okay, Mikey. You did the right thing." I told him, numbly. I couldn't believe what was going on, but I had to get them to safety and get back to Raph. Mikey could tell me what happened later. All that mattered now was that they were alive.

"He kept hitting him…" Mikey was wailing. "Don, he wouldn't stop. I had to…I had to..". Mikey began hiccupping, I turned to him and pulled him into a gentle hug. I felt a presence and look up to see Raph, jogging towards us. He was covered in blood. Go figured. We were all wearing it now. I smiled at him amazed that he just came and found us and held up a hand to stop had made it. Alone… I didn't bother asking him how he got away from the ninjas. I was pretty sure it was the other way around. Those ninjas probably didn't know what hit them. I knew what Raph was like when he was enraged.

He stared his golden eyes hooded as he peered at Mikey, clung to me. "I had to do it…He was going to kill Leo…."

"I'm so sorry." I told Mikey as I embraced him tightly. He leaned against me heavily and then I heard movement as Leo stirred behind us, trying to move. I turned back to the leader, his face was lined with worry. It was obvious what he was thinking. He let out low breath. My heart ache to touch him.

"Let us help you." I said to him. "There is no way you can move alone."

"But he did. He took it for me…" Mikey said, suddenly eyes back to Leo…I blinked, looking back at my youngest brother. Leo had what?

"Took what?" Raph asked, coming over to us, his fists by his side as he eyed the scene. Mikey didn't even turn to face him.

"Phoenix went after me. He shoved us apart and stuck me with something..."Mikey touched his face gingerly. "He was trying to kill me….I couldn't move… it..it was like I was on fire…"

"Like you were being electrocuted.." I muttered, understanding filling me as I had remembered what Leo had said about being electrocuted before when he had been captured. …Phoenix must have used a taser on Mikey. My gah….My gaze returned to Raph whose jaw was working in anger.

"When he was done….he started hitting me..I couldn't move right away..It was like I was numb…and then Leo…he dove on top of him…I don't know how he did it…I had been half dragging him when Phoenix had jumped us…I don't know how he got up…and then Phoenix went crazy on him and Leo just laid there…so…I…"

"I know how he did it." I said, as I looked back at Leo, whose eyes were closed now and he appeared to be sleeping. "Because Leo never quits on us." I was stunned that Leo had been able to move let alone get up in his condition. I pulled Leo up into my arms, tenderly. Mikey stood to help me. "Neither did you, Mikey. You didn't quit…"

"I was so scared…and angry…I.."

Raph came forward, his eyes focused on us, his breathing even. He threw an arm around Mikey's shoulders, who jumped a little at his appearance. He turned to gaze up into Raph's blood ridden face.

"You did good." He whispered and Mikey buried his head against the other's chest. Raph and I shared a look. It was over and we had won. I glanced back at Phoenix and shuddered. Was it really? Was this something else to haunt us forever? I still didn't really know all the pieces to the puzzle…so many unanswered questions circled in my head. This was far from over. Even with Phoenix's death.

But for now, maybe we could get some peace. For now, we could go home. For now we could be a family once again. At least that was what I was hoping. I glanced at my brothers and felt a slight burden lift from my shoulders. What ever else came we would fight it together. Leo was going to be alright. Mikey would smile once again. Raph would show his strength. I wasn't going to quit on them.

"Can we get the fuck out of here now?" Raph wanted to know. He didn't have to ask me twice.


	70. Chapter 70

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: hmmmmmmmmmm, I drink a lot of tea…way too much…I am told if you take sugar with it you are suppose to put the sugar cube in your mouth and then drink the tea. It is suppose to be healthier. Sounds complicated. Good thing I don't use sugar. XD Wonder if Leo ever uses sugar….wait…what am I saying?!

Leonardo's POV

It was a blur. Everything after that… the trip home..what had happened that night…Mikey..Phoenix..I don't really remember much. I wish I could, but ever time I think I can it slips away. Mikey seemed to be the only one who knew the full story and he wasn't spilling on it. He says I saved his life. I heard it was the other way around. Why can't I remember? Don thinks its because my body went through too much trauma at once. I think I have been through worse. In a couple days, Don proclaimed that I had been fully cured. At least, Bishop had been that much honest.

Bishop. I wasn't even sure if he had betrayed us. Not like I was going to call him up and ask. But, still it made me wonder. I found this thought reoccurring most often as I sat in my bedroom, trying to mediate. Something that was strictly impossible when your brothers kept popping in every five minutes to check on you. Even thought they mostly never said anything, just looked in, it still was disrupting.

I thought I would be frustrated about this, but I felt the opposite. For some reason, it relaxed me. Wounds were healing, my brothers were strong. They had overcome great obstacles together. Ones that they shouldn't have ever been forced to face. I still could taste the bitterness of guilt on my tongue as I thought about my actions.

Maybe that is why they kept seeking me out. I had isolated myself to my room. I felt like I couldn't face them just yet. Not as their leader. I had put them through so much danger. It just felt like an empty gesture to take up the mantle. Maybe even an insult. They needed time. I needed time.

The nightmares still plagued me. I knew they would. I took a deep breath again and tried to clear my mind. I still felt so weak, but I was determined to continue my daily routines. I needed to get my family back into their own habits. I needed to get them back to normal. I needed to be back to normal.

But I also wondered if we would ever truly go back. The monster that unhinged deep inside me, was it really gone? Or was that the real me? Had I not been fighting this along? Maybe this was all we could be..What was wrong with me? Was I scared to face them?

"Yo."

I opened my eyes to look at Raphael, who leaned against my door frame, arms crossed. His golden eyes bore into me from across the room. I swallowed. Raph. Don had said that he had literally taken on an entire army of ninjas to buy Don time to find Mikey and I. I didn't think Don was exaggerating this time. Not with the cuts that traced across his arms. He said it was nothing…

Raph was strong. I knew this right away, but still, he could have gotten seriously hurt…and no one would have been there to watch his back. What kind of leader lets something like that happen? Maybe I wasn't fit to be the leader anymore?

Raph's nose wrinkled up at me. "Ya got that look on your face again, Fearless." He said, simply. His voice came out rough like sandpaper and I chewed on my lip. He sounded agitated. As per usual.

"I'm fine. Just thinking."

"That's all the hell ya been doing since we got here. How long do ya plan on staying locked up in here?" Raph demanded, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

It is incredible. Was there ever a time that Raph didn't want to pick a fight with me? Honestly. I could feel him itching for one for days. I frowned at him.

"I am giving everyone time to readjust Raph.." I started but Raph snorted.

"Bullshit. You're hiding." He deadpanned and his eyes locked with mine. His words stunned me, but I didn't show it.

I pulled my emotions down deep and gave him a blank look. But I didn't dare speak yet. He was right. I thought, I knew he was. I was hiding. I didn't want to leave the safety of my room. I didn't want to see the bruise on Mikey's face or the cuts on Raph's arms. I didn't want to see Donnie looking exhausted as he poured himself yet another cup of coffee. I just wanted to become invisible. Unmovable to the pain I had helped create.

"So I'm right." Raph said, pushing off the frame and stepping into my room. He lowered his arms and I could see how tight his fists were at his sides. I could feel the wave of anger , buzzing around him. I sighed.

"Look, Raph…"

"Don't fucking "look Raph" me. I am LOOKING! I know what I am seeing, Leo. Get off your ass and do something!" Raph boomed at me suddenly. I schooled a flinch, maybe I did deserve this. Maybe if he wanted to fight, I should just let him….

"And what would you have me do, Raphael?' I asked him, softly, lowering my eyes to stare at his feet. I couldn't met his fiery stare. All it did was enflame the guilt inside of me.

"_Have you do? _I would have you all stop mopping around. I would have damn Donnie to get the fuck out of his lab and Mikey to stop sitting around and playing shitty video games. You! I want you to get the fuck out this damn hole and put your ass in the dojo! I don't give a fuck what you do, I can't stand this SHIT!"

Raph was literally ranting, his voice slightly echoing in my room, making the ear drums throb. I kept my gaze fixated on the floor. I felt like I couldn't bring myself to stop him from venting all the stress that had been building up inside of him. It was my fault that he felt this way in the first place.

"**LOOK AT ME, DAMN IT!"**

I lifted my eyes up and forced myself to stare at Raph's burning eyes. He glared at me hard. His chest was heaving and he looked ready to swing at me in any second. I waited. He moved towards me and I made no resistance when he grabbed my shoulder strap and jerked me to my feet.

"What are you…" I didn't get to finish because Raphael was half dragging me out of my room. Now I started to put up a fight. I didn't want to go down there. Not yet!

"Let go!" I said, pulling back, but Raph ignored me yanking me sideways, he threw an arm around my waist lifting me up. My feet left the ground and I found myself parallel with the floor like a bag of sugar would be carried under Raph's arm.

"Put me down!" I ordered, but Raph was already down the stairs and throwing me full body onto the couch. Mikey looked up from his spot in the armchair, remote in hand, eyes wide. I landed hard and glared up at Raph.

"Raph, what are you doing?" Don asked, coming out to see the noise. I sat up, but Raph shoved me back down and sat down on my legs on the other end of the couch. It really hurt!

" I ain't getting up, so don't even ask. Your room is now off limits." He said, casually looking at the T.V. screen.

"Uh…Raph…" Don started, but Raph shot him a venomous look, Don fell silent and instead took a seat in the other arm chair.

"You're breaking my legs." I hissed at Raph, who shrugged. "Tough."

"Well, this is cozy." Mikey piped in suddenly, smiling brightly. He acted like Raph and I just came down the visit or something. "We could watch a movie and make popcorn!"

"I'm not watching another monster movie. You stayed up three days straight after the last one." Don stated, simply.

"Aw." Mikey said, pouting at Donnie.

Had my family lost it? Didn't they realized I was being forced against my will?! That Raph was sitting on me like some hostage! I pulled at my legs and Raph chuckled. I could kill him. I bared my teeth at him.

"You're the one who should be in the dojo. You weigh a ton!" I snapped, furiously. It was a low blow, but I just wanted to feel my legs again. The room went deadly quiet. Raph stared at me for a split second and Mikey snorted loudly behind his cupped hand.

"Ha! Leo called you **FAT**!" He blurted out and then began laughing. I found myself gazing at him, with his bruised up face. He was, all messed up because of my mistakes and yet he was laughing. _How did Mikey still find the will to lift up his chin and smile?_

"Shut up you." Raph said, half-heartedly to Mikey who was still giggling like mad. How could they still be okay…and happy?

Mikey caught me staring and shot me a wink. "I'll go make popcorn!" He wooted and jumped off the armchair. I could still hear his laughter in kitchen.

"Hmmm, this calls for root beer.." Don said more to himself then us as he followed our baby brother into the kitchen.

"Cut the crap and bring real beer, ya sissies." Raph called to him. Then he looked back at me. He arched an eye ridge at me. "What?"

"I thought.." I stared and then paused and shook my head. This was unreal.

"What? That would be unforgiving or something?" Raph pressed. He gave me a smug look and rolled his eyes at me. "Come on, Leo. Pay the fuck attention."

I thought I had been. Honest. But somewhere I had missed the change in them or maybe I had changed..My thinking was cut off because Raph gave me a smirk and I felt annoyance rise up in me.

"Will you stop cussing at me already…" I snapped at him. A wide smile broke out in his face. That made me glare even more. Was he always so irritating? Who did he think he was? I thinking of giving him a piece of my mind, when his golden eyes soften.

"Welcome back, Fearless. I was starting to think you were never coming home."

I gaped at him, but found I couldn't answer. Mikey came bounding back in the room bearing bowls of popcorn and chatting away about some movie that I knew nothing about. Raph turned his attention back to Mikey to argue and I just stared. Then slowly, I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. Raph was still right.

Home….I was home…


	71. Chapter 71

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: Honestly, is there food out there that is better then pizza? If there is, I have yet to discover it….it could be a myth…

Michaelanglo's POV

Okay, I have to admit. I can admire how Raph gets things done. I mean, just last night the three of us, (me, Don, and Raph) were discussing how to the shell to get Leo out of his fortress. It was pretty obvious the guy was avoiding us and beating myself up mentally and yad, yad. Ya know? Typical Leonardo behavior.

Don was saying that Leo needed to come back and "face reality" and boy did Raph give him a healthy table spoon of it. I am not sure however, that you should toss someone who just had seizures and was beaten up onto a sofa, but what do I know?

I was really glad to see him, though. I was missing Leo, seriously. Gosh, I just want things to go back to normal so bad. Back to reality. Ya know it is funny that Don should say that Leo needed to "face reality". I mean, dude, we were all avoiding reality. I mean, in different ways. Leo locks himself up. I play video games and Raph hung out in the dojo with his punching bag. Don was in his lab watching the news on his computer. It wasn't hard to guess why. He was looking up reports on the fire. He wanted to make sure Phoenix was really gone.

We all weren't facing the present, not just Leo. But it was like we couldn't move forward without him. He still looks pretty bad even though Don says he is cured now. It could be just the bruises, but sometimes he just looks sad. I would find myself staring up at his door in the middle of the night, when my own nightmares kept me awake. I wondered how much could one guy handle alone?

All this time had been a roller coaster ride for me mentally. I have seen Leo crack and frankly, I was scared that he was not ever going to be the same again. I would sneak upstairs and just stare at him. He had been mediating like twenty-four seven. I realized he was still fighting with himself. Maybe he was on the same train of thought I was.

_Can we move on? Was it alright to do it? _

So even though Raph had zero tact and even though Leo looked pissed as shell at first. I was grateful to have him down stairs with us. It was where he should have been all along. I took a gander over at them, Raph had finally got off Leo's legs and they were both sitting up, eyes directed at the screen.

Even bruised up, I thought Leo looked pretty cute. He sat there, holding his bowl of half eaten popcorn, without a care in the world. All that mattered now was the outcome of the film. Then Raph reached over and scooped up a huge handful of popcorn out of Leo's bowl and shoveled it into his mouth. Leo's eyes snapped to him and he made a face. I couldn't help it. I grinned.

Yep, the way things should be. But things could be better….I jumped up and squashed myself in between Leo and Raph full bodily shoving them apart. Raph choked in surprise spitting popcorn every where and Leo gave me a stunned look as I threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Hey, Leo! Look you still have popcorn!" I said helping myself, like it was obviously why I came out of my way over to them. I could feel both Raph and Don eyeing me, but I kept my eyes glued to the screen. This forced them to do the same. My hand that was against Leo's shoulder was on fire. It is pretty amazing what a single touch can do to a guy. Well, when we aren't running for our lives and what not that is. Those situations do seem to put a damper on things…

Leo tried to hand me his bowl. "You can finish it." He offered. I shook my head pushing it back into his lap.

"You hold it." I could feel Raph stiffen next to me as I said the words. I could only guess what he was thinking. But I was sure it was some where along the lines of "I was doing that! Mikey, ya sneak." I grinned like a Chester cat at Leo.

Leo gave me a long look and then shrugged., his eyes going back forward. Oh, yeah. Score one for the Mikester! I glanced over at Don who was staring at me through narrowed eyes. Yikes….

I focused back at the screen and tried to remember what the movie was about, but the look Don had given me set me on edge. It was disturbing my vibe. Sheesh, some guys. Oh, well. New plan. I got off the couch, pulling up Leo with me.

"Whoa…what.." Leo started, eyes flickering wider.

"More celebration! Ice cream!" I hollered, as Leo began trying to protest. But, I knew he wouldn't say no. Not when everyone was getting along. That is the one thing you could count on Leo. After a fight, he wanted peace.

"Mikey….Let Leo be…" Raph said darkly and it felt like a couple degrees had dropped in the sewer. Leo stood there gazing at us. I think he was picking up the iciness in Raph's voice.

"It's okay, Raph. Its just ice cream." He said, like he was trying to figure out why Raphie was pissed off once again. Ha, Raph was getting all protective or was it just me?

"Mikey, can get it… You should be relaxing. " Don slipped in suddenly and I shot him a dirty look over my shoulder. He smiled back. Don and Raph working together? Not likely.

"I don't think getting ice cream is a too strenuous exercise, Don." Leo said, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Exactly. Mikey, can do it." Don said, firmly. Whoa, Don was trying to lay down the law on Leo. The pair were staring at each other and I decided to put in my thoughts on the situation.

"I want Leooooooo to help." I stated loudly, taking Leo's hand. He made a "who knows" gesture with his free hand at the others and followed me into the kitchen. Nice try, guys. I thought to myself, dragging Leo along behind me.

"Okay…let's see what we got…' I said , brightly as I opened the freezer. "We should just eat everything…"

"Mikey…"

Damn! I love it when he says my name. I smiled wide while my face was still hidden by the freezer door. Then called out.

"Sup, Leo?"

"I have been meaning to talk to you…"Leo said, quietly. "It might seem wrong, but I wanted to thank you…"

Darn..I had such high hopes for that sentence. Oh well, what do you expect? This was Leo here. But, thank me? I puzzled for a moment and then I stood back to fully meet his gaze.

"Thank me? For what?" I asked, pulling out different ice cream container and checking the dates on them. A habit you should always use when in a bachelor pad. If you abuse it, you WOULD regret it. Ew…

"Mikey, I know that you took out Phoenix by yourself. Don told me…" Leo went on. Golly, Leo always makes me feel awkward when ever he was talking to me. I was doing my best not to let me face heat up like a sun beacon. Was I embarrassed about how he said it? I licked my lips and let the moment pass.

"Did he now? Leo, we all worked together to save each other." I pointed out, placing the safe container on the counter and tossing the spare. See, told you. Check the dates. I dove back into the freezer to repeat this again on the other containers.

"Mikey, I'm serious.." Leo started and I turned to face him, cutting him off. He stood there, his light skin seemed dazzling under the dark colors of the bruises. It made his eyes shine out more then usual. The bright glint of determination was still present. That is how I knew he was still my Leo. Not the Leo on that footage I had seen with Don. The cure had brought him back to us in more then one way.

"So am I. Leo, you don't have to thank me for being there for you. I will ALWAYS be there for you. Just like you are for me or have you forgotten the gas station incident?"

Leo shuddered slightly at the mention and I felt a tad guilt about bringing it up, but I wanted Leo to realize that seriously he didn't have to keep count and owe me. That was not how a family was suppose to work. I knew that Leo broke that night and turned into "shoot em up Leo" rather then my honorable Brother. It had been so frightening to behold, I mean he went berserk on that guy.

But, I had done the same thing when I had looked up to see Phoenix over Leo going at him for all he was worth. What made it worse was being unable to move right away because of the electrocution….Leo could understand that, based on the prong marks on his neck, he had the same thing happen to him. Shell. It was awful. I knew then that it was truly life or death. The longer I sat frozen, the darker I felt. It would be no matter to disarm the guy, but it wasn't like that…he was killing Leo with his bare hands. The idea hit me so hard, I could feel my heart beat freeze in my chest. This guy wasn't going to stop. He was never going to stop until Leo was dead and suddenly….I wanted it to end…I had never felt a deep rage like that before. It scared me. I wondered if this was how Raph felt when he flipped. It kinda of opened a new door for me.

Leo was looking at me with sad, depressing eyes. Leo knew all about "opening the door". He was guilty about it. He knew that I had done the same. I could tell what he was thinking even before he voiced it.

Leo shook his head at me. "You shouldn't have EVER been in the position in the first place, Michaelanglo. It isn't about keeping score, I just wanted to apologize…"

This is the thing about Leo. The guy doesn't back down very well. I stepped forward place my hands on the counter on either side of Leo forcing him to back up into and kiss him softly on the cheek. It was short, I was extremely careful of the bruising there. I didn't want to hurt him. My lips tingled as I pulled away. It was a bit distracting but I managed to put the feeling towards the back of my mind for later.

"Can't you tell that I don't want to talk about it, Dude?" I asked him, as stared back at me, blank face. "Can't you just humor me? Leo, it happened. I don't want you to tell me your sorry. I want you just to be here with me. Now, shut up or I wouldn't give ya any ice cream."

Leo managed a weak smile and I grinned back turning back to the bowls, dumping in random contents in m own bowl. With ice cream any thing goes right? Hmmm…I wonder…

"How do you do it, Mike? How do you have so much in faith in me to be normal? You saw that video…I know you did…"

I heard him say begin me, I closed my eyes for moment before I answered. Ah…going have to be a bit more forceful. Leo, doesn't know when to shut up…

"Dude, you're my hero." I admitted honestly. "Do you want to know why?"

I paused for an answer, my heart beating loudly. I reached in grabbing various condiments from the fridge and set it along side the bowls. Leo sighed behind me, but he played along. "Okay, why?"

I looked back over my shoulder at him, catching his gaze with my own. "Because you don't give up, Leo. Just like you won't now and when ya wanna doubt that, ya got old Battle Nexus Champion here to remind you."

"Are you ever going to let that go?" Leo asked, sounding flabbergasted that I turned such a serious moment on its side. What can I say? I've got a gift? I just rather ever one be happy and smile then other way around. Is that such a bad thing?

"Can't block out the truth, my man. I don't even have to say it." I stated to him, striking a pose.

"Remind me to work on your modesty." Remarked Leo, he came over and stood by me.

"But, thank you all the same and what on earth are you putting in that bowl…" he eyed the bowl in front of me. "Is that mustard…?"

_Shell. I was had just been caught red handed…_

I gave him a knowing look, before my hundred watts smile. I dumped ice cream over the other "secret" ingredients before Leo could get a better look at them. I put a finger to my lips, "Shhhh.. Raphie's bowl. House special…"

"House special? Mike, I don't want to hear any complaints when he clobbers you…"

"Weren't you listening? I'm the Battle Nexus Champion. Raph…in the words of MC Hammer, "Can't Touch This."

Leo put a hand to his forehead. "Wow…" Was all he could say.

But hey, I am understanding. I have the same reaction from him…to say the least. I knew I should go slow with all the craziness but I really just wanted to be close to him. Look at me, I was feeling all romantic But, now wasn't the best time. I glanced at him and he was eyeing Raph's bowl, trying to see what else was in it. I leaned forward blocking the bowl from view.

"Want me to make your bowl?" I asked, a little too innocently and Leo snatched up his bowl from the counter.

"Uh. No. A hundred times, No. I prefer simple things. House specials are a bit too much for my taste."

He was acting serious but I saw the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and I grinned at him. He caught the smile and gave me his famous "big brother look." One that told me he wasn't playing. "If he asks me, I will deny ever knowing."

I laughed at that. "Oh, throw me under the bus? Sheesh, Leo. And I thought you were in here apologizing to me for that."

Leo's face paled. "Mikey!"

"I am kidding. No sweat, bro. I got this one covered." And with that I picked up the bowls, gave Leo a wink and swaggered out of the kitchen. I heard him chuckling over my shoulder. I loved that sound.

But, I wasn't lying. I did have this covered. It was going to take so time, but I was going to have Leo to myself no matter what it took. I just hoped I could convince Leo of this...


	72. Chapter 72

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N:

Raphael's POV

"Are you always boiling?"

Those were the first words that came flinging out of Don's mouth after Mikey and Leo headed off to gather ice cream. It kind of threw me off guard because I figured I had a decent reason to be pissed. Mikey was already pulling shots at Leo and I _just _got the guy down stairs. And where does _Genius _get off telling me what to do in the first place?

"And you ain't? Please. You were shooting Mikey a death look just a second ago. So don't give me that. "

"I'm not referring about Mikey, I am talking about how you just threw Leo."

He was pursing his lips in disapproval at me. Oh, didn't realize he was Leo's Keeper. Seriously, who the fuck put him in charge? Oh, wait. No one did.

"What? Ya think leaving him up there was better? Ya shitting me? Weren't ya the one spewing crap about him coming back into "reality"? I did what you were too chicken to think about doing."

I saw a flare of anger in Don's dark eyes and I smirked, sitting back into the cushion and crossing me arms. Yeah, maybe tossing Leo had been a little rough but the guy had it coming. He needed to know I wasn't fucking around. Besides I didn't really hurt him. Don didn't have the right to tell me what to do with Leo anyways. I knew what Leo could handle.

"You're the epitome of an idiot. You know that, Raph. I didn't want to force Leo down here, while he was still healing. And mediation is one of the ways, you heal. Just like if someone was sleeping. He needed it."

"Oh fuck off! He had been up there for days! DAYS! He was fucking avoiding us and you know it! So don't play your Doctor Bullshit games with me!" I growled at him, narrowing my eyes. Don was pissing me off now.

"Look. I do not want to get into a confrontation with you. I am just saying take it easy. It is too early to jump in where we left off with Leo. Okay, Raph? You need to hear me out on this." Don said, sighing and running at hand over his forehead. I frowned at him, but I did get him. Frankly, I wanted Leo this very second, but I was holding back. I didn't need Don to counsel me in that. I would be careful with Fearless.

"Gah, why do you have to be so stubborn? You're as bad as Leo when he is sick." Don was muttering.

I snorted at him. "No one is as bad as him. At least ya don't have to chase me around the damn lair."

Don looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded his agreement and I felt myself rolling our argument over my shoulder. I didn't want to fight with Don either. I mean, he pissed me off, but he wasn't the person I needed to argue with.

"ICE CREAM!" Mikey suddenly screamed, making both Don and I jump. I twisted to look over my shoulder at him. Mikey stood behind the couch, bowls in hand, grinning at me. Hmph. It was Mikey, Don should be having his little chat with. This guy and his little get Leo in the kitchen with me alone plans.

Mikey handed me a bowl as Leo came out of the kitchen, handing a bowl off to Don as he went by. But, he didn't sit. He stood there watching me for a moment and then turned his gaze to his bowl. I arched an eye ridge at his behavior. I swear, Leo was annoying. He could have sat down, maybe he thought I would sit on him again.

Well, fuck it.

I dug deep into my bowl with my spoon and took a huge bite, eyes on Leo all the while. Once the taste, hit my tongue, I knew something was seriously wrong. I choked and then I spat into my bowl.

"Gross!" Don exclaimed at me as I gave my head a shake to rid the taste that was fouling up my mouth.

"What the hell…."I gagged. I moved the ice cream around in the bottom of my bowl. I came up with yellow…wait…was that relish? I stared at it for a moment, nose wrinkled in confusion. How did… Mikey shrieked out in laughter next to me and suddenly it all made sense.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU PUT IN MY BOWL!?" I yelled at him, as he edged away towards his room.

Fucking chickenshit

"The chef never relieves his recipes, Raphie….trade secret…." He giggled and then dashed for his room. I didn't bother to get up. I just chucked the bowl at him. He ducked, by the skin of his teeth, it missed him, shattering against the wall. Globs of who knows what slide down the wall in a mess. I growled, but Mikey was already safely locked in his room.

_I was going to kill him. _

"Really, Raph? Now I have to go find a new bowl.." Don grumbled as he got up, inspecting his own bowl closely now. I couldn't blame him.

My eyes flashed to Leo, who had been quiet during it all. "You knew."

Leo's head tilted at me every so slightly. His eyes lifted from his bowl. "You know, Raph. You're right. I think I will go to the dojo.." He strolled by me and I shot to my feet.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, LEO!"

He glanced back at me. "You can join me if you like later." Then he set his still full bowl on the kitchen table and headed into the dojo, leaving me feeling pretty confused. I was pretty sure Leo was suggesting to spar. Maybe he knew that I needed to vent. Leo did always seem to know. Or maybe he was challenging me?

Maybe he was just being a prick? What was he getting at? Maybe he was still pissed about me sitting on him? Shit. I was gonna pummel Mikey….fucking relish….and…

I felt a grin slip over my lips. Leo also didn't deny anything about the ice cream. I was starting to think it was revenge for me throwing him….I chuckled and went over to pick Leo's bowl, which he had barely touched and finished it off. I wasn't sure if he had left for me on purpose or not, but what the hell. He shouldn't have left it there.

Why did he have to be so…Go slow…..this was going to be hard for me to do….I thought. Maybe a quick run through the sewers would help me stay in control later. Right, now I wanted nothing more but to pick Leo up and smash him into the mats…

"Be careful." Don's voice drifted over to me from where he was bent cleaning up the ice cream.

"Leave it. I'll clean it up, Don." I instructed. " And I will. But it is hard when he acts all smug like that."

"I think that he is trying to pull you into a fight on purpose." Don mentioned and I turned to get a good look at him. "Why?"

"Don't tell me you don't see it? Leo is feeling guilty about what he has done. A couple hits from you might feel deserved." Don said, rolling his eyes at me and my right eye twitched, irritated.

"Just be careful. He isn't fully healed. I think he wants to vent, so don't get all emotional."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Thanks, Pops."

"I'm serious, Raphael. Don't you dare hurt him." And with that he went into the kitchen and I heard the water switch on. Was that a threat? I glared after him.

Jackass.


	73. Chapter 73

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: In deep….

Donatello's POV

Yeah, saying I am concerned is an understatement. I was almost down to being a basket case. I could see what was happening. Mikey and Raph were already being drawn towards Leo, like moths to flame. I understood. I had the same problem, but I also was scared about what Leo's mental state could be like. The fact that Leo had been mediating literally for almost days bothered me. It meant he was dealing with something deep.

We weren't going to simply walk away into the sunset this time. We all saw things, felt things, and **DID** things that would haunt us. Things that couldn't be ignored, but I didn't think Leo should face them alone. But that is exactly what he was doing. He was acting like everything was kosher. That he was fine and dandy. That those bruises didn't hurt. Raph and Mikey didn't get it. Leo still wasn't facing reality.

Love sucks sometimes.

I kept a constant eye out for any news on Phoenix and his foot. It seemed like he was indeed gone, but there was still another madman out there. Doctor Frahm. He was as much of a monster as Phoenix looked. I haven't forgotten the video he had sent me. Hell, my nightmares could barely compare. I had an unsettling feeling that there was unfinished business.

As soon as I got to the lair, I had increased all the security I could. I even doubled up on the feeds of the surrounding tunnels. I was determined to keep my family safe. I would make sure of it. But that was the real problem. I guess as much as I wanted Leo to come back to us mentally, I was afraid of that. As cruel as it sounds having him locked down in the lair, was the best way to keep an eye on him. Even I knew that logic was useless.

Leo was too strong to stay put for long. He would eventually pull back up his ways and place his mask tightly back on. He would train and put aside everything else. Even if Raphael hadn't stepped in like he did, it would have only been a matter of time.

I watched the water circle the drain as I dried my hands on a dish towel and felt a parallel connection to my life with it. I sighed. It was a shame that life and time wouldn't just forget about you. It would always pull you back into the main stream.

I detour past the dojo on my way to the lab to check on Leo, since it was my new habit to do so. I was worried that he could give us the slip and end up in God knows what again. As I poked my head inside, I soon realized my mistake.

Leo had already lit the candles and was sitting crossed legged. Normally, this was nothing new to me, but for some reason it angered me. It was like it was proof to me that he was ignoring us, ignoring that we could help him face his demons. _Why did he have to do everything alone?_

I found myself glaring at him, when he must have sensed my presence and opened one eye to stare at me. The gaze seemed to freeze me in my tracks and I found myself staring back. Gah….what was with the obsession I had with his eyes? How did they have so much power and control over me?

He opened both eyes. "Hey."

And he says "hey" to me. Sheesh, guess I can't blame Raph and Mikey. What ever this feeling was that was taking hold of me it was ten times stronger then before. In fact, it was kind of scaring me. I swallowed.

"How you feeling?"

Leo shrugged and unfolded his legs, stretching. The flash of skin made me shiver before I could resist it. I sucked in air, but didn't release it. I was half thinking of bolting for the door or tackling Leo. Holy Crap! I was losing it right now! Focus, Donnie! Gah! I was acting like a pervert!

"To be honest, I feel okay. Kind of like I haven't been me for a while." Leo was saying and I had to pull my eyes away from his mouth to comprehend what he was saying to me. Himself? That was a given. He hadn't been himself! Not even close! He had been literally crazy!

"Well, you have been through quite a bit. People often adapt to stay alive." I said, matter factly. Leo nodded at me and sighed.

"It isn't an excuse, Don. I want to make things right for you guys. I put you all through hell." He went on. I blinked. Wait a second. This conversation…he was confiding in me. But at the same time, I could sense something different about him. It was like he had reached some sort of decision.

"Leo. Everyone makes mistakes." I started, but Leo shook his head at me cutting me off. He rose to his feet. And peered at me, the candlelight shinning on his face. His eyes looked sharp and bright. The strength shone from each feature on his face. Gah, He was so beautiful. My heart did a double beat.

"A leader does not."

With those words, he tore me from my swoon. I stared at him. For a moment, I didn't get what he was saying and then it dawned on me. He was almost past me, when I latched onto his forearm, stopping him. He didn't look at me. He kept his gaze forward. My fingers tighten.

"Please, do not say what I think you are going to say."

"I plan on telling Raph tonight." Leo said, simply and then he looked at me. There was no emotion in his face. The mask was on. I was losing him. How can it be that even while I was holding on to him, he was so very far away.

"Leo, Please. You can't judge yourself…." The words were getting tangled up with the emotion in my throat. I knew then and there that he had made up his stubborn mind, no matter what I said or how I would plead. I studied his eyes, as he spoke again. I could feel his breath against my face.

"I have decided to resign as the leader."


	74. Chapter 74

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: I don't do cold well….maybe I am cold blooded?

Leonardo's POV

I knew what the others would think. That I was just having a moment. That was not the case. This wasn't spur of the moment. I have been giving this careful thoughts for days now. It seemed like a legitimate option. I figured my brothers would be upset at the beginning but they would see things my way. Master Splinter is due back from his pilgrimage in three weeks. I didn't know if I could face him after all I had done.

_He would be disappointed. _

So the answer was simple. I needed to step down and resume my training on a different level. While being held hostage I had cracked mentally in some many ways, that I was afraid that it would reoccur under stress again. I figured that I could discuss this with Donatello first. Don and I normally could talk freely with each other on many things. Out of all my brothers, he is the best at listening.

Or so I thought…

"**WHAT?" **

I was partially deaf after he exploded in outrage directly in my ear, his voiced echoed through out the whole lair. So much for keeping things on the low down. I sighed, tilting my head back to get a good look at him. His light brown eyes were in narrow slits and he had a death grip on my arm. He looked venomous. Not a look that I could barely recall on Don's face. Especially when it was just the two of us.

It was a little confusing. Normally, Don didn't react this way. Usually, he would ask questions before he voiced an opinion. He liked to get all the facts on things. Now, I didn't even have to ask what he thought. He looked simply angry. I frowned at him. I am sure that he had figured it out too. He knew that it would be a conclusion I would come to. So why was he so upset? It was an obvious answer.

"I take it you do not agree?" I asked, and Don's jaw clenched. That looked like a "no."

"Are you crazy!? Resign? Where did you come up with that? All the variables out there and you take "Resign"? " Don looked down right hysterical. His face was bright red. I tried to pull back from him and get some space, but his grip was locked on.

"Don, look, it doesn't have to be permanent..' I tried to reason, but Don shook his head violently. I feared he could suffer from whiplash from it.

"You are not stepping down…."

I felt a rush of annoyance that was normally reserved for Raphael. Why was Don acting like this? Where was my levelheaded brother at? I was trying to do what was best. I needed to regroup and I couldn't drag my family along for another wild ride. Had he forgotten that there was still another maniac out there?

"Donnie. You can't control what I do. I am sure Raph will agree with me. I can not be a fit leader when…"

"I don't care!" Don shot at me, his words were hard. By this time, Mikey was peering into the dojo, looking as startled as I felt. I couldn't blame him. I am not the one who normally gets Donnie riled up.

"Not care?" I echoed. It appeared to be just the opposite. Maybe, Don was too emotional about this. Maybe he wanted to deny what had happened. But he had to know that was never the answer. I wanted to improve…

"I knew it! I knew you were planning on shutting us out again!" Don was ranting at me. I felt my mouth fall open in shock now as he carried on.

"How could you? After all this!? You are planning on taking off! You think Raph could lead us? Or how about me? Are you even thinking at all?"

My mouth snapped shut. His words were hurtful and they hit a raw nerve. Don thought I was just trying to jump ship on them. I straight my back, using my height as I got back in his face.

"Look! I am a mess. How can I protect you when I can't protect myself!" I snapped at him.

"I could help you!" He yelled back.

_Help me? _How the shell could anyone help me when I wasn't even sure how to help myself yet?

I yanked my arm free stepping back from my normally emotional balanced brother. I was at a lost of words, but Don just coming at me, verbally and physically.

"I am not leaving, Don…Just hear me out.." I pleaded but Mikey came bounding into the dojo now. His blue eyes wide and waving his arms to get our attention.

"Guyssssssssssssss. Love and peace! Sheesh!" He said, throwing an arm around Don's shoulder and mine. Don had his hands clenched tight at his sides. He narrowed his eyes further.

"I think the team should vote on this, _Leader." _

The way he said it , it was a literal cut at me. My face flushed. "Don, Why…"I began but I was cut off by Michaelanglo kissing me on the mouth. It was quick, no more then a peck. He was there and gone in a second. But it render me speechless. Don gave a strangled gasp, so I think he felt the same.

_What the hell?_

Mikey on the other hand, whooped loudly, dancing around the room. He was swinging his hips and doing weird arm gestures. "Uh huh! That's right! Shut BOTH up on the SPOT! Yeah….go, Mikey, Go Mikey. Whose your daddy? " He sang in a high pitch voice.

_It was irritating. _

"Mikey…" I started and then decided I was wasting my breath on my crazy baby brother. Mikey always did do the extreme to keep us from fighting. I shook my head and found myself chuckling. Maybe Don was right. Maybe…my family could help me. Even if it was just to make me laugh…

I have to admit Mikey's antics did give me time to think, I looked back a Don, who was shaking his head at Mikey, his lips pursed. I knew he meant well. Honest, I did. Don was scared. That was why he had to be acting like this. I couldn't take this as a personal attack. Don just didn't want to divide up the family. Something I should take into consideration.

"Okay, Don. You are right. We should decide this as a family." I told him after a deep breath to let go of my tension. Don's eyes lit up as they focused back on me. It looked like he had calmed down as well. Go figure.

"Honest?" He asked after a second of thought. I nodded. ":I still want to talk to Raph this evening, but I do think you have the right idea about a vote. I guess I just feel inadequate in all this."

Don shrugged at me. "Your opinion, Leo."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! See what my kisses accomplish! I am the battle Nexus champion! I rule! AHAHHAHA! BOW BEFORE ME! " Mikey shouted suddenly making us both wince. He was running in a circle whooping. He looked wayyyyyyy too happy over there..

"Mutant." Don muttered, frowning at our brother. I smiled and then I winked at Don,

"You know, Mikey. I thought it is time we have a spar match.' I called over to Mikey who was doing the moonwalk. He faltered. "What? A spar match!" For a moment he look suspicious and then he bounded over to me, throwing his arms around my stomach. "

Awesome…I take it you want more." He made kissing noises at me and I smiled, shoving him back.

"Not with me." I laughed. "With Donnie and keep your kisses to yourself. "

Mikey stood rooted to the spot, staring at Don, who grinned back at him. He pulled out his bo staff, tapping it in his palm.

"With Don…Leo….I don't think…." Mikey swallowed.

"Only fair, Mike. You interrupted our talk being crazy as usual. Don needs to finish "talking" with some one. Why not you?" I said, simply.

"Uh…I forgot…I got to…later!" Mikey zipped out of the room like a bat escaping hell. I giggled and Don laughed as well.

"He is a complete nut, but he's your brother." Don muttered. All tension erased from his face now.

"Ha, your brother." I replied. "I know he is just trying to help, but there is no way I can practice with that in the background. I am sure you understand. We should have a quiet afternoon with both Mikey and Raph gone. Don't you think?"

Don gave me a small nod. "Is it okay if I join you in your warm-ups? It has been a while."

I felt a tingle of joy and I nodded vigorously. "Of course. You don't have to ask. I would be delight."

It wasn't often that one of my brothers wanted to warm up with me. Not since Mikey compared my warm ups to a suicide run. Drama King.

I still couldn't believe that Mikey pulled that kiss, but at the same time it made me laugh. It felt like a prank that Mikey would normally pull to get our attention. It was so over the top. Frankly, Mikey was smart. He knew how to put people at ease. A gift that I envied. I smiled, and focused on my breathing. That aside.

I glanced at Don who was waiting for me to make the first move. I inhaled. "Let's start with some basic stretching. Don't over it do." My breathing slowed and I felt my mind shift to the task at hand. I would have to deal with my worries later. Right now, I just wanted to work with Donnie. He was right it had been a while. Maybe that was why I was so tense. I needed this.

It was time to train.


	75. Chapter 75

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N:….Need….Mountain…Dew…..

Michaelanglo's POV

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Holy crap! I'm a genius! I had gotten two..not one, kisses on Leo in like the last hours or so! Can anyone top that?! No way! I know that Don is possibly thinking of ways to "off" me, but still…TWO!

The last one…I could still feel it. It brought back memories of the night on the rooftop….everything had gone to hell after that. But, hey…Leo is always worth the wait in my book. Seriously, though, Don shouldn't be surprised. If I see an opening that I can get away with, sure as shell, I was taking it.

Don can't complain anyhow. I hadn't seen him leave the dojo, so maybe him and Leo were mediating or something. I stretched out the couch and put my hands behind my head staring up at the ceiling. I felt pretty proud of myself, but I couldn't help feeling an impeding doom lurking in my head. Don was going to give me one of those long and disturbingly boring lectures eventually. I gave a shudder.

_Yuck…_

I laid still for a moment and then quickly brought my knees up to my stomach to back flip off the couch. Woot! I stuck the landing! And the crowd goes wild! I took a bow and then glanced around.

Well, guess I best go find something to do, since my days were number…wait. A light bulb seemed to flash in my head. Raph had mentioned that Don had pictures of Leo…..Damn…that conversation had seemed to have been like a life time ago. Yet, I had never forgotten it. Hmmmmmmmm….I wonder..

I did try to talk myself out of it. I mean…NO ONE goes in Don's lab without him. I am pretty sure it could be program to self-combust if done so…yet the idea of hot Leo pictures was more luring then death by fire. I figured I would go out friggin happy. Anyways, I was only fifty percent sure that the lab would do that. I mean, Don was probably making that up….

I went into sneak mode and tiptoed past the dojo and sulked into the lab….I took a huge breath and put on toe in the door way as if to test the waters. Nothing happened. I was still alive. No alarms. Nothing. I have to tell ya, I was a bit let down. Donnie was a fibber. That meant come Christmas, he was getting coal.

I closed the lab door to a crack quietly and then survey the lab. Now if I was exotic pictures were would I hide? I move some the papers around on the desk, but I was pretty sure that Don wouldn't leave this stuff out in the open. I mean…I wouldn't… That's when I noticed the faint glow of the computer.

_Duh. _

I sank down in Don's swivel chair and spun a couple times before I wiggled the mouse to get the screen up and going. So far so good…I began pulling up files. There was tons of computer calculations….experiments…results…Blueprints for stuff…..My eyes went dull….How can Don like this stuff? It doesn't seem possible.

That is when I spotted something that caught my eye…..it was labeled. Just a date….A year ago….I clicked it and a full screen shot of Leo popped up.. Whoa….I tilted my head to the side to study it…It looked like a picture taken from above in the dojo…I frowned, that is funny..I had never noticed a camera there. In the shot, Leo was just lifting weights. Nice muscles, but nothing I hadn't seen before.

Boring.

I clicked out and looked for another date. There was a couple good shots, but nothing I was led to believe…except for that pool shot….HOT DAMN! I thought about printing a copy of that one…but decided that could go badly..It was then that I noticed a recent date. Like just last week.

_Seriously, Donnie.._I thought. But when I clicked it, I realized it had nothing to do with Leo. It was pictures of documents in a warehouse….I squinted, leaning close to the screen. Why on earth would anyone take pictures of this? What did that say…

"What are you doing?"

I screamed…yeah ninjas every where would be ashamed. I spun around so fast that I almost fell off the chair. Don stood in the door way, face flushed, eyeing me. He had both arms crossed. He looked pissed…and for good reason. He crossed the room and shut the screen down…as I began to stutter.

"Er….s-s-up Don…" I pushed a smile and started to rush for the door, but he caught me by the shoulder and shoved me back into the chair. It rolled back into the desk with a bang. Yikes…

"Don't even think about it, Mikey. Why are you in here?' Don demanded. I eyed the door desperately but knew that there would be no escape…I swallowed. How does one explain this?

"Uh well…just..stopped by….to ..use the computer?" I gave a nervous laugh and one look at Don's face told me that he wasn't buying it. Man, he was red. I arched an eye ridge. "What happened to you?"

Don's cheeks flushed again. "Leo wanted to stretch….do you have any idea how distracting that can be?"

My mouth parted as my brain registered that remark and then I snorted. Now, that would be some awesome shots. I totally felt for him. Don frowned.

"It isn't funny..So you decided to hack on to my computer? Why?" Don pressed and I shrugged. Hey, I was caught and I knew it. Might as well confess.

"I wanted to see your Leo pictures." I blurted out and Don's eyes widen for a moment. _Weird…._

"Oh…Pictures.." He said after a split second. He looked relieved. That got me curious, because he acted like there was another reason I was getting on…wait…does that mean that he was hiding something else? Something better then pictures. That could only mean….

"Oh my fucking shit.." I gasped. "You have videos! Don't you?!"

Don's eyes shot wide open. "How did…NO!"

"You suck at lying! Holy…of what? Do you have shower scenes? Oh shell! That would be sweet! You have to let me see them! Where are they…I didn't.." I turned back towards the computer and Don grabbed the back of the chair and yanked it far from the computer as possible, dragging me along with it.

"Don't touch it! Out!"

I pouted. "Didn't Splinter teach you how to share?"

I think I saw a vein popping on Don's forehead and his jaw clenched. Don yanked me up out the chair by the back of my bandana. It really hurt! The fabric yanked hard around my eyes. I thought my eyes might pop out!

'Owwwwwwwwwww!" I hollered and the next thing I knew I was sitting on the ground outside the lab, locked out. I rubbed my eyes and readjusted my bandana. He threw me out! I smiled. Donnie and his computer….hmmmmm..

I got up and found Leo behind me. I yelped and jumped back. "Shell! Don't do that." I shot at him. "It is beyond creepy!"

Leo wrinkled up his nose at me. "Why don't you practice on your awareness? You can't blame me for your lack of senses."

I stuck my tongue at him. He gave me a blank look.

"What was that all about?" He gestured to the lab. I shrugged.

"Oh, ya know, Donnie. He doesn't share…" I trailed off.

"Did you break something?" Leo asked suspiciously and I put a hand to my chest in mocked shock.

"Moi? Never. Anyhow, how was your work out? Did you kick Don's butt?" I asked, hopefully. Leo shook his head. "No…he seemed…I don't know….kind of stiff….I don't think he has been practicing lately."

I almost laughed at that sentence, but luckily I held it in…And Leo didn't have a clue of how right he was. Stiff was the word for Don. Leo started at me for a moment and I pulled a straight face.

"What do you think about me stepping down.."

Damn, Leo knows how to wreck a great moment. But if he thought I was going to talk to him about that, he was totally wrong. I shook my head at him. "You trying to buy my vote or something?"

"No…I just..I was interested to know how you felt…since…" Leo paused. Oh, this conversation was going down hill fast. If I didn't put the brakes on, I would end up where I would not want to be. I gave Leo a huge grin. He peered at me, puzzled.

"What?"

"If you don't shut up, Leo. I will Shut you up _again…"_

I will say this I was a little disappointed how quickly he stopped talking. He gave me a dirty look and headed back into the dojo. I pursed my lips.

_Denial_. Oh, well….the evening is far from over.


	76. Chapter 76

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: A long chapter….been working on this one forever…..I blame Raph for being difficult….=/

Raphael's POV

It was hours before I came home. I couldn't. I'm not like Leo. I can't sit back and then figure what is the best thing to do. I normally do whatever the fuck pops into my head. I was pretty sure that wasn't going to work this time though. So I need to go for a run. I think better when running. I had a lot to think about and I really hate thinking about all this shit to start with. It would be so much easier just to move on. Yet, I knew that we couldn't just walk away from Hell either.

I knew what was bothering me. Don's stupid words were echoing in my head. Yeah, that was equal to any horror film I knew of yet, I couldn't block his damn nagging voice out. It just creeping up..

"_Don't you dare hurt him!" _

What the fuck? I am seriously tired of Don sprouting crap at me. Leo and I never hurt each other…well okay…we hurt each other but…not REALLY hurt each other…_Shit. _It was complicated. Maybe it had bothered me more then I thought. Fucking Donnie and his psychological bullshit.

Then I started thinking about how Don was saying that Leo felt guilty and basically wanted an ass-kicking. That sucked because frankly I would give it to him. At least I would have before. Heck, that's how Leo and I talk. We beat the shit out of each other. However, now I felt differently about it. Like I was the wrong one or something. Like I shouldn't vent my stress on Leo. Like maybe fighting was just a way to avoid the problem.

Something wasn't right and Donnie had pointed it out to me. If Leo wanted to spar, he had something on his mind. He wanted to talk too that meant. I ain't that great of a listener. So why did Leo want to talk to me?

Fuck.

See what I am saying? This is bullshit. I can't stand around wondering what the fuck is up everyone's asses all the time! It makes my head hurt! Splinter always did say I have next to no patience. well, He wasn't wrong.

I came into the lair when it was dark. Damn. It had to be like three in the morning. Guess I ran longer then I thought. While the rest of the lair was pitch black, I could see the faint flickering light from the dojo. It was candles. Some one had waited up for me.

Leo.

I trudged over and stood in the frame to get a good look. Sure enough he sat in the middle of the mats, meditating. It was like a flash back to all those weeks before. Before everything went nuts. Before when I would come home and he would be up, waiting for me. Like always. Like nothing had happened.

He knew I was there. He always knew. It was just the way he was. Sure enough, He opened his eyes and stared at me. The candles cast a deep hue on his face. I stared back at him. Anything I had thought of saying was gone now.

He stood, slowly, letting each muscle stretch for a moment before he straighten. He was prepared. Ready for me to do whatever that came to mind. Or so he thought. Well, this time, I wasn't going to march to his tune.

I came in a bit further into the dojo and stop just outside the circle of candles. "Ain't sparring with ya."

My voice came out quiet. Leo didn't move he just tilted his head back a bit to take me in. "What happened?" He asked after a second. "I thought you needed to let out some steam. You have been edgy lately."

I shrugged, feeling out of my element now. I mean, I couldn't believe I was doing this. But I had to try. Besides, Leo's words rang in my ears. I was the edgy one now? Well, Fuck. He had that backwards. I wasn't the one who kept hiding in my room.

"Nothing. Just don't feel right. What happened to you?"

It was his turn to shrug. " Nothing feels right anymore. So now what happens? You want to talk?"

I snorted. "Hell, somebody should…wanna go for a jog?" I asked him.

"What? You haven't had enough?" He said, eyes blank. It made me wonder. What the hell he was thinking? I looked him over. He was tense. His hands were at tight fists at his sides.

"Never enough topside." I said without hesitation. Leo judged my answer for a moment and then nodded. He turned and slashed out with his katana, extinguishing the entire circle of candles in one swoop. Now we were plunged into totally darkness, not that I mind.

_Show-off. _

I felt him brush by me and moved to follow. We walked in silence. Him in the lead. Just like we did when we were kids. Funny how things turned out. Fucking hilarious in fact. As we exited the lair, I felt a slight twinge of a rush. It felt like the air was becoming clearer. Yeah, even in the sewer and once we reached topside, I inhaled deeply. Freedom.

Leo glanced at me, his eyes shinning in the moonlight. " Where to?'

"Just run. I'll follow." I said. But Leo shook his head. "No. You should lead."

Okay, whatever. Why can't he ever just fucking do something? I shook my head and took off with him at my heels. We ran for about a half a mile and I was just starting to enjoy myself when Leo spoke again.

"I do mean that."

_Huh? _

I glanced over my shoulder at him to see if he had gone crazy and was babbling to himself, but his eyes were fixated on me. Maybe he had been talking all along and I had tuned him out. I am prone to doing that. Especially with Leo. Defense mechanism.

'What the fuck ya saying?"

Leo pulled a face at me, like it was obvious. Well, sue me. Not my fault he talks cryptic. "I think you should lead."

"No fuck, Leo. I am." I said turning back around. Damn. Don was right. Maybe Leo was losing it or something. He was getting senile. We leapt down to a lower building and Leo spoke again, this time sounding exasperated.

"No, Raph. I meant you should be the leader. Not me."

_**Say what? **_

I stopped in my tracks. Leo smacked into me and we rolled across the roof top, before coming to a halt on our sides. Hell. That hurt. I groaned and then sat up. Great. A little of asphalt for the skin. Why not? I looked over at him, wanting to see if he was as serious as he was sounding.

He was laying on his back staring up into the sky. His eyes were wide open, pointing skyward. I watched the rise and fall of his chest. Now he wants to be quiet? Go figure. The one time Leo shuts up and I want him to talk. Well, better make sure I heard that last one clear.

"Ya wanna run that past me again, graceful one. "

Leo had that annoyed look on his face again. One he often wore when I was involved. He didn't turn to look at me. He spoke straight to the darkness above him. " How many times do I have to say it before you get it, Raph? I want you to be the leader."

Yeah….that was what it had sounded like the first time. I made a face. _Wants me to be leader? _I felt a prickle of irritation. "And why the fuck do you want that?"

Leo heaved a loud dramatic sigh. "Honestly, you are going to ask me that after all the hell we went through?"

I scowled at him. I hate it when he acts like I stupid. I hate it when he answers with a question….I hate it when he gets all moody….Fuck it, I pretty much hate anything he did when he was in ass-mode. "Well, since ya think ya got all the answers." I spat at his direction. Leo shook his head and closed his eyes.

"Actually that is the point. I don't have all the answers. In fact, I am at a lost of what else to do."

"So ya think giving up is the best option. Right. Must have missed that lesson when Splinter was teaching it." I muttered. His eyes snapped open and he sat up so we were level with each other. His eyes were flashing darkly. I met them evenly. I wasn't backing down from this. So I hit a nerve? Well, good. Dumb ass.

"I am NOT giving up. I am taking a time out to get my head in order. I figured that you could at least understand that. Why is everyone acting so….." Leo's voiced trailed off in a frustrated noise that he always made in the back of his throat.

"So I take it Don and Mike are not on board either? Guess you're stuck with a shitty ass job then, Fearless." I snorted at him and his face deepen into a shade of red. He was glaring at me. It was kinda….cute….Damn….can't believe I just thought that.

"I thought that you would…"

"Want to lead? That is old school Leo. It's one thing to lead now and then, but all the time? That shit ain't for me. I don't think ahead like ya do. I just do. " I answered with a shrug.

"Yeah, I know you're a hothead." Leo sighed, stood, slowly and crossed his arms for a moment. I looked up at his silhouette for a moment before getting to my own feet. That's the thing about Leo. He was hot in broad day light, but I liked him even more in the shadows. It just…fit.

"I completely screwed up this time, Raph. I mean, look what Mikey was forced to do." Leo said, in a tired tone. He had turned his back to me. I stepped closer to him. Ah, so that's what was bothering him.

"Mikey wasn't forced to do anything Leo. He chose to keep you alive. Stop acting like it was the wrong fucking choice." I snorted at him and he spun on me, so that we were almost nose to nose. I could feel a wave of anger spilling off of him.

"He's a kid. Mikey is younger then us. And because of my mistakes…"

"Please, we are all kids. Get off your high horse, Leo. Ya ain't perfect. You made a mistake, big deal. Welcome to the real world." I snapped, eyes narrowed as my temper flared. Leo stared at me, then shook his head. His face looked weary. He looked hurt…fuck… He started to turn and I caught his shoulder. He looked down at the ground as I swallowed.

"Look…I am not trying to pick a fight with ya. I just don't want ya running yourself into the ground and thinking shitty. I know ya didn't mean for a lot of things to happen, but they did. It is over. You can't go back. But you can't just leave either. Not again. You are our leader…"

We both stood there feeling uncomfortable, I'm sure. I sure as hell did. My fingers tighten on his shoulder and he finally looked at me. His eyes glisten and I was sure he held concealed tears there. His skin was so pale it was almost silver. I finally couldn't fight it any longer. I yanked him into a rough hug.

He jerked a little like he was about to fight me off and then relaxed. I rested my face on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. I felt him reach up to hug me back. He inhaled.

"Thank you, Raphael."

I closed my eyes and suppressed a shiver that ran through me as he said my name. After all these years and times we yelled at each other, to think hearing him say my name, when be a turn on. Damn. I was going straight to hell.

I leapt back from and turned away as my face redden. After all, I didn't think me pounding him into the rooftop would go well right now. Well, maybe for one of us. Leo sighed behind me.

"Well, I guess all is left is the vote and already it doesn't look good." Leo said.

"Vote?" I asked, still not turning around.

"Yeah, Don and I got into an argument and he said we should vote. You know about me resigning."

I turned around to fully grasp what I was hearing. "You and _Donnie _were fighting?"

Leo shrugged. "Well, a little. I mean, it didn't go too far because of Mikey…" Leo stopped short and chuckled.

I arched an eye ridge at him, not catching what was so funny. "Mikey did what?"

"Oh, you know, Mike. He hates it when we fight, so he jumped in to diffuse the tension…" Leo said, casually.

"What did he do?" I asked again, feeling like Leo was leaving out something important.

"Oh, he kissed me and then ran around dancing or something."

My eyes shot wide open. "He what?!"

Leo gave me a perplex look at my out burst. "It is Mikey, Raph. He was just joking around."

**That little SHIT! I was going to beat his ass when I saw him. And Donnie just let him? After all his "start slow shit talk"?! **

Leo was giving me a weird look so I pushed a cold smile onto my face. Well, two can play this game. "He is quite the clown. Well, how was it?"

Leo's jaw dropped as he looked at me, like I had just asked him what his favorite sex position was. "How was it? It is MIKEY!"

"So ya told me. Was it your first kiss?" I pressed a little harder and Leo's eyes got even wider. I got a little worried that they might pop out. He looked at me with total disbelief. I laughed darkly at him. Yeah, I know. I was being an ass.

"That is not funny." Leo muttered, he almost looked like he was pouting. I eyed him for a moment before trying another daring risk.

"We could always try and compare." I said, quietly. Leo's mouth parted as he looked at me in alarm. Shit…that was hot. For a moment, neither of us moved. I think Leo stopped breathing in fact.

"WHAT?" He bellowed at me, suddenly and I started to laugh. I couldn't help it. He looked like he had just pissed himself. He glared at me, suspiciously. I smirked. Maybe he isn't as clueless as they come.

"Come on, Leo. Lighten up. We should go on a pizza run or something since we are out." I said, surveying the city below. Leo was still giving me a look but I ignored him. A habit with years of practice behind it.

"I don't know. The others…" He said, slowly after a second.

"Will be fine until we get back." I cut in and shot him a look. "Leo, just shut up and come on. Who knows? You might actually have fun for once."

I saw his mouth open, but didn't give him a chance to respond, I turned and leapt down to the building below. He called my name and after a moment I heard him following behind me .

"Hot head." He said and I smiled. Hey, I wasn't about to let this slip by. I didn't get Leo to myself often and I figured I was due for some Leo time. After all, the guy worked too hard. He needed to get out and live. The night was still young….maybe I could talk him into getting a couple beers to go with that pizza.

My smile grew. Oh the possibilities were endless.


	77. Chapter 77

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: Sooooo….wrote this a million times and then deleted it….then wrote it..,this chapter was sooooooooo crazy to write…but hey….things change…it is time…Things are about to go nuts!

Donatello's POV

_You have to be kidding me?_

Does my brother remotely understand how to be responsible? Wait, this was Raphael I was thinking about, so that is a loud and clear, No. _Gah._ I had a headache. I had left my lab hours ago and sat at the kitchen table in a foul mood. Honestly.

I had gotten up around 6 am and freaked out when I realized that Leo was not in his usual mediation spot. Quite frankly, I had barely slept in the first place. My hormones were on full race since the stretching session with Leo…Omigosh…..I couldn't get it out of my head!

I had seen on my monitor cameras that Leo and Raph had taken off from the dojo around a quarter to four.. Luckily, I did not see any fighting on the camera, but that meant nothing when it was Raph and Leo. So much for a simple voting poll. Those had to sneak off together and do who knows what.

You know what? Nothing is worse then being left out of something. I mean, I have always just focused on other things, but in all truth, it sucks. I desperately wanted to be with Leo. I wanted to be with him all the time. Sheesh. I think I am turning obsessed.

Then there was Raphael. I still knew that he was the crazy one in all this….I felt anger fume up in me, just at the thought. Raphael better had not forced Leo into anything or so help me I was going to make his life a nightmare.

I had tried both their phones and discovered they were both here. Which just infuriated me even more that they had left them. I mean, what if they were ambushed!? Boy, I was planning to give them an ear full. Ninjas are supposed to be always prepared, which meant they left them here on purpose! And why would they need to do that?

It was about 8 am before Leo and Raph returned home. How did I know? I was up waiting for them STILL and not too happy about. I was working on my fifth cup of coffee. My nerves were on edge. Maybe..I should cut back on this coffee stuff. I was getting the jitters.

Leo had come in, looking slightly annoyed. He had one of Raph's arms pulled over his neck and was supporting the turtle to stand. Raphael, however, was laughing loudly. They did not look hurt apart from the small bruises on Raph. I felt relieved and then quickly got irritated. They had no excuse for coming home so late, in my opinion.

I got to my feet watching Leo half drag Raph in who was now chuckling lowly. Well, I will admit it to myself at least. I was so jealous of the scene before me. How close they were. Should have known Raph was not going to play fair in this. I swallowed my envy and decided to focus on the rules instead.

"Where were you!?' I snapped coming from the kitchen table and crossing my arms. Leo's eyes flashed to me and he sighed. He nodded towards the red wearing turtle as if that was a decent explanation. Raph gave me a smile and waved.

"You guys better not have been fighting! You said…" I began to hiss.

"Sup, genuuuis?"

I stood still. Raph's speech was in a slur and he looked a bit cross-eyed in fact. _Goodness, he was as drunk as a sailor in Singapore was!_ My eyes went back to Leo who appeared to be very sober indeed. Well, then a silver lining. He gave a small headshake in my general direction.

"You want to give me a hand here? It took me forever to get him down here. He has zero stealth when he is like this." Leo said, lowly and Raph chuckled, swatting Leo on the chest.

"Liaaaaaaaarrrrrrr. I can kick yer ass…still." He muttered and laughed some more and slumped forward a bit, dropping to one knee. He belched and I grimaced. Sick. How is that remotely attractive?

"How did he get like this?" I asked coming over to them and Leo snorted. "Casey. He insisted we go watch the game at Casey's house. All I did was get up and go to the bathroom, Donnie. I swear I was gone less then a couple minutes. When I came back, they were both almost drunk and trying to beat each other to a pulp. I have no idea how much they drank, but there was an at least a couple dozen of cans all over the floor. I mean, come on, they didn't drink it all, they inhaled it! They were arguing about who won on top of it."

I shook my head. _A drinking contest?_ Well, that did sound like Casey and Raph. I felt a little bad for Leo, but decided not to say anything. I still was not done being mad at him for the whole resign from leadership thing. I reached out, while holding my breath against the smell, trying to take Raph's free arm.

Raph, however, gave a weak swing at me. I jumped back a little bit startled. It was a total miss, but still…what the… As I looked at him, he growled. I met his gaze, confused. His eyes glared at me. "Mine." He said quite plainly and I felt my eyes widen on their own.

_Did he just…_

Leo shifted next to me under Raph's weight and I glanced at him. Leo was studying me, hard. He was looking at me for answers. Well, I was not going to explain to Leo that Raph was claiming Leo as his territory. That would go over real smooth. I licked me lips, ignoring him and heard Leo take a breath.

"What the heck is that suppose to mean? He has been muttering that half the way home. Did you take something from him?" He asked, eyes still glued to my face.

I swallowed, staring at Raph, who had his teeth bared. He looked ready to kill. I knew it was the liquor in his system, but it did not stop me from feeling as if I was about to wet my shell. Damn Raph and his bad habits. I glanced up and noticed Leo still waiting for a response.

Gah…this was nuts…I straighten my back and gave Leo my best "whatever" look. Hey, Denial is your best friend in these situations. Therefore, I gestured to Raph.

"Leo…He is drunk. As you know, drunken people do not make logical sense quite often." I pointed out and Leo rolled his eyes. He was taking the bait, too tired to argue.

"You got that part right. Let's just dump him on the couch." Leo suggested, pulling Raph back to his feet, breaking Raph's stare off with me. Raph, however resisted movement towards the living room, he jerked sideways to his own room, taking Leo with him. Leo stumbled and then got his bearings again.

"Raph…just take the couch…." Leo grunted trying to pull the stubborn turtle back on course to no avail. Even a drunk Raph was a Strong Raph.

"Ain't sleepin… shitty couch." Raph said, at least that is what I think he said. It was my turn to point my eyes to the ceiling and sighed. I came over and took Raph's arm and this time he let me. Together we got up the stairs and were moving into Raph's room, when he pulled free of us both.

"Raph! Now what?" Leo snapped as Raph stumbled back the hall. Raph did not answer, just headed into Leo's room and disappeared inside. My mouth parted and Leo stood still for a moment, equally surprised at the change of events. There was a loud thud and we both tore over to the doorway to see what it was.

Raph lay snoring on his stomach, strewed out across Leo's mat. He was completely out of it. Leo sighed next to me. "Guess that is it then." He reached in and shut the door, turning. "He is so stubborn. I'll be in downstairs." I blocked his path.

"We need to talk Leo."

"Later…I'm late." Leo said, nudging past me and flipping down to the lower level. I landed noiselessly next to him. I already knew where he was heading. The dojo. I caught his wrist, stopping him.

"That's what we need to talk about. Why don't you take the couch?" I said and he made a face at me.

"Unlike Raph, Don, I'm not drunk. I can't sleep there. It is too….out in the open." He finished and I raised an eye ridge_. Out in the open?_ What kind of excuse was that? Sometimes, Leo made zero sense to me.

"Okay…But since your room is occupied. " I tugged him along, leading him to my room.

"Don." Leo said behind me. "I am fine. You.."

I opened the door and shoved him inside. He turned and stared at me as I closed the door behind me. I turned the lock and met his eyes once again. I felt a chill run through me. What was I doing? Locking myself in a room…**MY Room** with Leo? Gah…am I losing it?

He snorted, interrupting my internal rant. "What is this? Am I under lock down?"

I leaned against and crossed my arms once more. He didn't seem to be taking me seriously and that irritated me. I mean, I had been waiting up for him. I have ALWAYS been waiting for him….

"Don't make me drug you again, Leo." I said to him quietly.

He tilted his head back a little, giving my heart flop as he gave me a once over. "Yeah, speaking of that, you ever try that again and I will give you a taste of your own medicine."

His dark voice drew a small quiver out of me, but I quickly over came it. He was trying to scare me. It was unnerving but I highly doubted he would do something like that…right? Nevertheless, I wasn't going to back down today. I felt my hands clench.

"Well, lay down." I said, changing the subject. The corner of his mouth twitched and he sighed. "Don, be reasonable.." He started but I interrupted him.

"The answer is No."

He didn't move as he gazed at me. "You are being awful pushy today, Donnie." He mentioned.

The way he said, it almost sounded like a question. Hell yeah I was being pushy. I wasn't going to let him jeopardize his health…again. After all, I was the one studying his test results not him. Technically, He should have been in bed for at least a month! He should have died. And he goes running around with Raph, when that other lunatic was out there?

"I'm not leaving until you rest, Leo." I stated firmly. I stepped away from the wall coming to stand before him. I knew now that air had changed in the room, I was challenging him. Gah…I was acting like Raphael…yet I wasn't turning back. My own anger was out weighing my reason. It wasn't like he was listening anyways.

"Is that how it is then?" He wanted to know.

For a moment, neither of us moved and then I lunged forward. He tried to side step me, but I was ready for that catching him around the waist. The back of his legs hit the edge of the bed and we went down.

He grunted in my ear as he hit the mattress with me on top. I leaned back to look at his face, my knees resting on either side of his hips. "Why do you have to fight me on everything I say?" I demanded. "I am just trying to take care of you, Leo! Can't you realize that?!"

Leo glared up at me, his eyes narrowed. "And why do you mother hen me!? I said I was fine! First, you are mad at me for wanting to back off and resign and now you are mad at me for wanting to train?! Get it straight, Donnie! You are acting crazy! What is your problem?"

"My problem is your behavior. You and Raph taking off! Your body is not fully recovered! You do not take anything I say seriously! I do not want you to quit, but I don't want you to over do it either! Use your head! I am sick of your obsession with being self-destructive! "

"Oh for cry out loud! I am not dying, Don! Get off me! I am not doing anything. I am the best I have been in months! I told you I was going to talk to Raph!" Leo snapped, trying to push me off, but I seized his wrist pinning it into the mattress.

"Not for the entire night! And you left your phones here! I was about to go out looking for you! Are you stupid? What if something had happened?" I shot back, eyes blazing. I could feel my jealous taking hold. Obviously, Leo had felt that he and Raph could handle whatever together. Maybe, Leo was lying and Raph had confessed to him…maybe I was being paranoid…

"What? Are you sensi now? We are fine! I am not going to keep sitting around waiting for the worst! Look, I get that you are mad that I didn't tell you…"

"TELL? Leo! I have basically had to figure out everything that is going on for months now! Do you know how hard it is to keep calm about all this crap? You won't even let me help you! What am I not worth your time?"

Leonardo's face registered shock and he gave his head a wild shake. "What? You aren't making sense? Worth my time? You are my family.."

"And here we go again…" I half moaned. How could he not noticed? I wanted so much more then that. I was sure that he would never give me that. It was a depressing thought.

"Okay, Don…is there something else going on? I mean…you are overacting on this. We just talked and then went hung out at Casey's. There was no fighting. Raph agrees with you. It is okay. I am not running out…"

"Ha. You are _always_ running, Leonardo." I said to him, before I even realized that words were on my tongue. He blinked at me.

'What?"

But, I just shook my head. It was too late to take it back and frankly, I didn't want too. Maybe the lack of sleep was getting to me. Maybe I was done being ignored. Maybe I just was done. I felt drained. I needed to stop staying up so late, pouring over those documents from Frost….

"No. I am tired of these games, Leo. You do not take your health into consider. You just need to listen to me on this one. For once.…"I muttered, starting to pull away.

"See! This is what I talking about!? You do not trust me! This is why I wanted to give it time. My leadership means nothing…I have lost you respect, Donnie. Why can't you all see that? " Leo all but yelled.

I felt my emotions refueled with those words. Was that for real? He still thinks I only care about his damn leader title! He still thought that was the reason I was so upset! He didn't care what he was doing to me!? He was driving me crazy!

"You are an idiot!" I shouted back. "Your leadership and your health are not the same thing! You should have never been able to get up and do what you did, Leo. You are taking EVERYTHING for granted! Are you really that dense? How out of touch can you be? You sense people sneaking up on us but you can't figure out that I am pissed off at you because you are so **clueless**? DO I have to spell it out for you? "

"What are you talking about? Will you please stop talking in circle? Every time I think I know what you mean, it suddenly doesn't feel that way, Donnie." Leo said, sounding exhausted and closed his eyes in frustration.

I am not sure about when it came over me. Some where along that sentence, I had stopped hearing him and was just focusing on his mouth. Maybe I knew that I could never get my point across unless I took some action. My grip around his wrist had tightened involuntarily. I became aware of my other hand on his chest, trying to keep him down. I feel the heat from his body under me. My heart was pounding in my ears. I realized as I watched his lips that he was saying my name. It was then that my emotions trumped my brain and I lost my sanity.

I leaned down into him in a rush and shoved my mouth against his, taking in his heat in one swoop. His mouth was much softer then I would have thought. For a moment, I had never felt so content. Like I could solve the riddle of life if I just kissed him long enough.

He froze under me; I moved my hand from his chest, up his neck to his jaw. I let my hand stay there, holding him in place. Gah, he was so warm…I was sure I could touch heaven. All this time….

Leo jerked back, breaking the kiss, his head smacking in the bedding, eyes wide. He stared up at me, chest heaving. I stared at him. Reality slowly started trickling in, as I peered into his confused eyes. _Holy shell….I had…._ However, I knew logically, this was probably my last and only chance to have him.

_Everything was about to change. _

I watched as his lips began to move, just when he was about to say something, I slid my hand to the back of his neck and pulled him forward. I stole another kiss, deeper then the first, but this time Leo didn't say still. He twisted under me, trying to be free. I could hear muffled protest against my own mouth. I closed my eyes, trying to drink in the sensation for as long as I could.

There was a loud knock on my door and I jumped away from Leo as if he was on fire before I remembered I had locked it. **Dang it!**

"Yo, Donnie? What are you doing in there? You seen Leo?" Mikey's voice came from the other side of the door. More then seen. I thought, my eyes not leaving the panting turtle on my bed. Thank goodness, Leo was staying quiet….but then again, he probably was in shock. I inhaled trying to calm my own racing heartbeat.

"Be out in a second. You wanna start breakfast?" I called back, trying not to sound breathless.

"Shell yeah." And Mikey moved away from the door. I watched Leo, who was half sitting up. One elbow propped up to hold his weight as he stared at me. Gah….He was so beautiful. I wanted to touch him again. However, I held back this time. When he didn't say anything, I felt a stab of sadness. I knew then. It was over.

"Leo…look…" I started, but now that the moment was past, I felt shame rush up flushing my cheeks pink. I couldn't get my head around what had just happened. I mean, I literally had just forced myself on Leo. I should be apologizing, but I could not get the words out.

Leonardo's breathing had returned to normal. He wore no emotions on his face as he looked at me. It was the mask again and it directed at me. If he had stabbed me with his katana, it would have hurt less.

Slowly, he got to his feet and I felt myself flinch ready for anything. I punch to the face, I surely deserved. But, instead he walked past me, with out a word. A moment later, the door opened and then closed. He was gone.

I sank to my knees, and I felt dry sobs rack my body as I pressed my forehead into the cold floor. I wrapped my arms around my stomach as if that could stop me from breaking apart. _What had I done? Get Up! Go after him!_ My brain yelled, but my body didn't react. It was too late. I had just ruined everything.

It was over.


	78. Chapter 78

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: Omg. You ever wake up in the middle of the night with a crazy idea? Happens to me all the time. And if you don't write it down right away, come morning you forget it! I literally have to have a notepad and pen on my bed for it. Crazy, huh?

**Leonardo's POV**

_**Did that seriously just happen?**_

Autopilot was pretty much engaged. Heck, Shock couldn't even begin to describe me. My whole world had been flipped, scrambled, and didn't appear to land sunny-side up. I reached my room before my voice was even found. I shut my door and leaned against it.

"What on earth?" I whispered and was immediately greeted with a loud, startling snore from Raph. I had forgotten that he was in here. But, at the same time, going back out there was not an option. I crossed my room in a single stride and lit my candles in the dark. Once that was done, I told my mediation position in the center, in hopes of straightening this all out. I wasn't even sure where to begin.

But, as I sat there I found I could not get my heart rate down. _Seriously, had that just happened?_I thought again._ Did Donnie really just…_.I shook my head. I needed to calm down. I rested my shell against the wall and took a couple deep breaths to no avail. My brain was suddenly firing questions at me.

_How long has Donnie felt like that?_ I should have asked him, but I could barely ask myself. It is possible that Don was just experimenting or something. I mean, he couldn't really….could he? Why would he do something like that if he didn't?

My thoughts slipped back to how Don had been acting months ago. He has been so moody. He would get so angry and then fight with everyone. So protective and yet awkward…sometimes…Suddenly…it all made sense. No wonder he was so ticked off at me.

"Holy Shit." I breathed, breaking my own rule against obscene language. This had been going on for quite some time, right under my nose and I never even saw it coming. In fact, guilty that I hadn't noticed. It must have been so hard for Donnie. But, what about Mikey and Raph? Did they know too? All that fighting? Was this the source?

I shuddered at the thought and dismissed it. I seriously doubted Don voicing this to the others. I mean, Don is shy. Heck, I am stunned he even went this far. He had to have been stressed out or something. Come to think of it, he has been living in the lab lately.

I frowned. Why was he staying up so late? There had to be something else going on. I sighed. Wow, Splinter had trained me for a lot, but this. Never. This could tear up the whole family if I didn't deal with it softly.

And how do I deal with it? I mean, I have never considered this….I shook my head again. This was madness. There was a sharp rap at my door and I opened my eyes.

"Yo, It is your adorable brother. I got breakfast." Mikey called out. I chewed on my lip, wondering if I should let him in or not. Then decided to just go with it. I opened the door and Mikey swaggered in, balancing a plate on his head and holding two others.

"Dude, what is Raph doing in here? He is messing up your decoration theme." Mikey asked me as I took a plate from him. I smiled a little. You can count on Mikey for a joke. At least that much was normal. Once again, I wondered if Mikey knew Don's secret. But decided against risking it.

"He was drunk and decided this was his room." I explained and Mikey snorted.

"Bet he did."

My senses flared at that sentence and my eyes narrowed. Now, that was a red-flag sentence if I ever heard one. I took a step closer to Mikey.

"What does that mean?"

I thought Mikey looked startled for a moment that I asked him, but it was quickly replaced with his usual smiling composer. He took a step back, looking at me so now to disturb his balanced plate.

"Dude, its Raph. He always wants to be you. Guy's got a serious case of envy."

I eyed him and Mikey looked me up and down with his eyes alone. He gave me a quizzical look. "You okay? I get the feeling you're trying to past judgment on me or something."

Yeah, that pretty much was it. I sighed and let out the air I was holding.

"Ah, Sorry. I had a long night. Raph and Casey. You know how it is?" I said, backing off a bit. I was being paranoid. After all this was Mikey. He said weird stuff all the time.

"Not really, I try not to get stuck with those two. They are beyond help, if ya get my drift." Mikey said lowering his voice, his blue eyes shinning.

I shook my head and Mikey flashed me a huge smile. All the chaos swirling around me and Mikey was just concern with his next joke. Sometimes I wondered if he let anything truly bother him. It must be nice to be so carefree. I found myself smiling back despite my current situation.

"Have you seen Don?"

The smile froze at the mention of Don's name. I almost didn't catch what Mikey was saying and blinked rapidly for a spell. Mikey's face had gone a bit serious, laughing cast aside.

"What? Is he not in his room?" I asked after a pause.

Mikey shrugged. "Door is locked and he isn't saying anything. I am not sure if he is in there. I made him food. "

I swallowed, frowning. I could understand why. I had just left without saying a word to him. Who knew what Don had interpreted that to mean. Actually, it was extremely cold of me to do in the first, but I had been so startled. I probably just pushed him over the edge. I should at least apologize.

And then what? I had no idea what to think or feel about the matter? I mean, the kiss hadn't been back, but it sure as heck been strange. Very strange. The whole thought was foreign to me. I have no idea what to even say to him? What if he doesn't open the door to me?

_Wow….this was more difficult then scheming to fight the Shredder. Who knew?_

"Earth to Leo. Return to home world!" Mikey said, waving a hand in front of my face. He looked a tad concerned. Wow, I was zoning out. I smiled to reassure him and held my hand out to him for a plate.

"I'll give it to him." I said.

"Okay?" Mikey said, suspiciously taking the plate from his head and handing it over to me. "Are you guys fighting again? Whoa, that sounded weird….I mean, It is you and Donnie."

But I nodded. "I agree though. We seemed to be having an… issue."

Mikey's eyes narrowed briefly. "Uh huh."

Once again, I felt that red flag pop up in the back of my mind, but I ignored his skeptical look. I nodded towards the sleeping Raphael. "You might want to make some of that hangover cure of yours. I am thinking he will need it."

Mikey made a face and I smiled as I headed back downstairs and then felt a chill run through me. It past quickly, but I stopped in front of Don's door, lingering. Go figure. I was actually afraid to confront my genius brother. I sucked in some air and rapped my knuckles against it.

"Don, it's me. Open up." I said, leaning into the door, listening. Nothing. I frowned. Okay, I get I was a jerked for just walking out, but still this wasn't going to solve anything. He couldn't stay in there and ignore me. We had to face this problem whether he liked it or not.

I kicked his door in.

I had hit it just below the knob with the flat of my foot. The door swung open with a massive bang taking part of the doorframe with it. Donnie bolted upright from floor. There was tear streaks on his face. His eyes were red from crying and he stared at me in surprise.

I gave him a guilty look. Great, I had made him cry. Nice going, Leader.

"Uh….hey…"I started, not sure how to begin this. But, he cut me off.

"You broke my door!" He shot. I glanced at the frame. Well, he had that bit right.

"Uh..sorry about that.."

"What do you want Leo?" Don said, coldly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I already got your message loud and clear."

Yikes. I chewed on my bottom lip again. I had never been so tense. I felt so uncomfortable and I was not sure how to start this conversation. But, I had to try.

"Don, look….I didn't mean to….well…You…It wasn't…." Great. Now that I was here, making a bigger mess of the matter. Guess I should have put a bit more thought into this instead of striding down here like a hot shot.

Don's eyes pierced me from across the room and then he came over to me. I could tell he was calculating the situation. The anger seems to diminish from his face and he crossed the room, taking the plate from me as I stuttered.

"Are you disgusted?" He asked quietly. His voice had a dull but curious tone to it. He really wanted to know what I thought. I pondered his question.

_Was I? _

I shook my head at him after a moment of thought. "It is a bit weird, Donnie. You threw me off guard. I don't even know what to think, really." I told him, honestly. "I mean, it is wrong."

I waited for the anger again, but none came. Don gazed at me, his eyes were lit up. He strangely happy. Then he spoke again, quicker this time. "So you're freaked out…..yet..you are here talking to me?"

I gave him a look like "duh." Did he think I would just hide out in my room? We were a team.

"I can't leave things like they were a second ago. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't think that it is a good idea. I mean, we are family." I answered, feeling entirely awkward that I was actually having this conversation with my brother in the first place. Nevertheless, things had to be made clear so we could move on.

"I think you just aren't use to the idea, Leo. You don't seem as opposed to it as you are saying." Don pressed, he looked hopeful behind the tears. I swallowed and felt like I had been sucker punched in the gut.

_Whoa_…._what was he saying? That didn't sound like a "okay, Leo, never again" did it?_

This was not how the conservation was supposed to be going. I had figured that we both would apologize and go on with life. That this would be buried deep in the back of our minds'. Don however, sounded like he was suggesting that he wanted to pursue this.

_Was he insane? There were so many reasons not to go forward with this! What would sensei say?_

I told a set back from him, gaping. "Uh…I think you are missing the point here, Donnie. Things like this…just can't happen."

Don shook his head. "Please, Leo. Don't be so narrow minded. If you aren't grossed out, then there is hope. Look, I am sorry for not saying anything to you before, but I am not going to apologize for kissing you. I LIKE you, Leo. I have always. I will fight for you. It is that simple."

_Simple? This was anything but!_

I stood there too stunned to move. _What?_ I couldn't comprehend this. Don stared back at me, a look of determination highlighting his face. Had he lost his mind? We were brothers! He couldn't like me! He was complicating everything!

"You can't!" I squeaked at him, sounding very childish indeed. "Are you crazy?"

Don gave me a wide smile. "Maybe…..Take all the time you need to figure things out, Leo. I can wait. Just promise that you will give it some thought. You don't have to be alone. I am here for you. " With that he sat on his bed and began eating. Just like nothing had happened, watching me carefully.

I backed out of Don's room in a daze. I gave my head a rough shake and put a hand on the back of my neck. This was unreal. I needed to go sit down…mediate. I turned and found Mikey standing there. And I felt sheer panic dump over me like a bucket of icy water. _How much had he heard?_

"Sup?" Mikey said causally. He was holding a glass of who knows what for Raph. I had never asked what it was and Mikey never told. I glanced back at Don's room and then back at Mikey.

"Uh…how long have you been standing there?" I asked lowly.

"Long enough, bro. Cripes, never thought Don would work up the guts to tell ya. Gotta give the guy props." Mikey said, with a wave of his hand. My mouth hit the floor. _Wait a minute…._

"What?" I said, shrilly, my brain-reaching overload. "You knew?"

"Well, yeah. Raph does too." Mikey said with a shrug. "Welcome to the fold!"

I sucked in air. _Raph knew too? What the hell? Was this some huge inner circle secret? Was that why Raph and Don were fighting so much? Raph had to be against all this. This can't be real! This has to be a crazy dream! My gah. I was hyperventilating. _

I think I was just on the verge of passing out from pure shock when Mikey gave me a knowing smile. He patted me on the shoulder. "Dude, you are quite popular down here. What did you expect? Well, I am off to wake the dragon. Later." He said, wisely, and then he waltzed up to my room, leaving me even more confused then before.

"**WHAT?"**


	79. Chapter 79

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

A/N: I am thinking that I could do several alternative endings for this story? Any thoughts?

**Michaelanglo's POV**

Well, now **This** is a crazy day and top it off with waking up Raph and you get pure mayhem. Even though I rather I had been the one to snag Leo's kiss, I was feeling rather proud of old Donniekins. I mean, I knew sooner or later he would just lose it. Poor Leo looked rather shell shock, but I figured he took it rather well. Come on, He could have been all dark and revengeful. Dude, would of course need a black cape…..yeah…..Scaryyyyyyyyy.

Just wait until he finds out about me and Raph. I snickered at that. Damn. This could be a beautiful thing if done correctly. I strolled into Leo's room and paused, thinking of how best to get Raph up. I figured throwing things at him would be the safest. After all, I knew better then to touch him. I could lose a couple of teeth that way.

I chucked a book that appeared utterly boring from Leo's shelf at him and naturally, Raph blocked it, but it was enough to stir him from the abyss. He squinted at me and I did a finger wave at him.

"Ya wanna die?" He growled. I stuck my tongue at him and set the cup down with in arm's reach. Raph with his pleasant perspective as always was a true heart warmer. The fact of the matter was I was growing immune to death threats. In fact, I find them as a term of endearment. That couldn't be a good thing in my line of work.

"You're missing all the action, grouchypants." I remarked, sitting down cross-legged, smiling at him. He squashed up his face and groaned, lying back down.

"Go away…" He grumbled.

"Donnie just spilled the beans to Leo." I deadpanned.

For a second Raph acted as if he didn't get what I was saying. I was pretty sure it had something to do with the hangover. But, what do I know? Then his eyes flashed open and he turned his head to look at me in shock. Ah, realization.

"What did you say?" He muttered. And I groaned. " Seriously dude? I feel like I am talking to Lassie. Donnie told Leo he likes him. And if I heard correctly, kissed him. Get your butt out of bed. "

Raph shot up to sitting position and then clawed at his head, in pain. I winced despite myself. Yeah, I am never drinking….

"That Bastard. What the hell does he thinking he is doing?" Raph huffed, glaring at me in between his fingers with one eye.

I eyed Raph back. I had figured that would have been obvious. "Uh….trying to get Leo? Hello. Is this thing on? Come on, Raph. Our little Don is growing up. You have to be proud of that. I mean we should throw a party or something"

"I'm going to kick his ass." Growled Raphael, fumbling for the cup. I rolled my eyes. And they call me dramatic. But, then again maybe that was just another sign of love from Raph. The old halfhearted "I'm gonna kick yer ass" play. I glanced at him. Then again maybe not.

"Dude, don't you get it. Now that it is out in the open, we can all make our move and let Leo chose. No more hiding. Leo didn't have a stroke or die from shock, so as far as I am concerned that is a green light for me. This is awesome."

Raph downed his drink and gave me an evil eye. "Shut up. You're giving a headache. Stop acting like it's Christmas or something."

I blew a raspberry. "Party pooper. You're just being a cry baby, dude."

"I am about to make you cry, Mikey. Shut the fuck up." Raph snarled at me. I smiled and got to my feet. Wow, he sounded better already.

"If you don't like Don getting Leo, I suggest you step up your game. Oh, and being drunk. That ain't sexy, Raph. Come on, get with the program." I cooed.

Then I booked it out of the room and a moment later, I heard the cup shatter as it hit the wall where I had been standing by. I laughed. Raphael was completely predictable. But, seriously, now that everyone knew I figured we were pretty even.

Speaking of predictable, I peered into the dojo and wasn't surprise to find Leonardo there. He was pummeling the punching bag, looking extremely focused. Therefore, I made my entrance.

I sashayed over to him, humming "Don't worry, be Happy." Then did a back flip to land directly behind him. "Ta-Da!"

Leo ignored me. I tilted my head. He appeared to be in a world of his own. Well, I can't have that now. I started to whistle it and I noticed Leo's left eye twitched. Bingo.

"You need something?' He asked giving a hard right to the helpless bag. I smiled and stretched my arms behind my head.

"Would you like me to count the ways?" I asked and Leo gave me a perplexed look over his shoulder and swung at the bag again.

"You look tense." I purred at him and he shrugged. "My brother wants to make out with me and you all didn't tell me. So what do you think?"

_Ouch. Touchy. _

"I am more interested in what you think." I shot back, going in for the kill. Leo kicked at the bag making it swing. I admired his strength for a moment, and then Leo answered.

"Why do you care what I think, Mikey? It is between Donnie and I."

"Cause I am the better match, obviously. I mean Don's okay, but I am so cute."

Leo turned to look at me, mouth slightly parted. "Whaaat?"

I came over to him. "I told you were popular Leo. I meant that. Don't you think I am cute?" I pouted at him and He gave his head a wild shake.

"Whoa. You're messing with me?" He said, trying to push by me, but I didn't move.

"Why would I lie about this? I know I shouldn't bring it up in a time like this, but hey if you chose Don and I never gave it a shot how could I live with myself? So the way, I see it is to confess."

I dropped to one knee and Leo's eyes expanded to the size of saucers. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He boomed, glancing around frantically.

"Leonardo. Would you consider me as a mate?" I asked, with a pouted face and then I threw in my puppy dog eyes for extra effect. Leo's head gave a rapid shake.

"Holy shell, Mikey. Get off your knees, for cry aloud! Are you insane? No, wait, don't answer that!" Leo was sprouting off, grabbing me by the elbows and pulling me to my feet.

"Is that a maybe? That sounds like a maybe?" I asked as Leo threw a hand over his eyes and leaned his head back. It was cute. He looked very frustrated indeed.

"This can't be happening." He moaned. "Why did you have to complicate things, Mikey?'

"That's life, not me, dude." I said with a giggle. "Personally, you are to blame."

Leo's head snapped back down and whipped his hand from his face to glower at me. I smiled back at him.

"**Me**? How the shell am _I _to blame?"

"Oh, that's an easy one." I took a step closer making Leo lean back a little. "Cause your hot."

Leo's mouth opened and closed a couple of times as he looked at me, bugged eyed. I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"Don't be so serious, Leo. It is okay. I'm not going to jump ya right now, just giving you a better option. I know you are going to need some time to get use to this. Don't worry, Bro. I got your back."

"Please tell me you are joking." Leo whinnied slightly at me with pleading eyes. Aw. Now that was priceless.

"Don't ask me to lie to you, Bro." I told him softly. "I have loved you since we were young-uns. You can't change that. All I know is that I always want to be with you. Love is never a bad thing, right Leo. I mean won't hate me because I love you, will you?"

Leo's eyes met mine and I swear I saw a flicker of sadness in them. Then he slowly shook his head. "I am not going to hate anyone, this is just…odd. This will change everything know."

"Change can be a good thing. We could all be closer because of this." I said, Leo eyed me.

"Closer, eh? Okay and what if I was to chose Donnie over you." He asked, point blank and for a moment I felt an unsettling fear strike my heart. It must have shown on my face because Leo nodded at me.

"That's what I thought. You guys, can not ask this of me. I can't hurt any of you. I am the leader. It is my job to protect you. I can not jeopardize this family or play favorites. This is very wrong. "

I stared at him even though his words had struck a nerve, I could only feel a greater love for him. I shook my head. "I am not going to give up on this, Leo. Stop trying to talk me out of it. Maybe you need to sleep on it. "

I turned away and I heard Leo sigh behind me. "Now what?" I heard him muttered and I suppressed a laugh. I had just exited the dojo when I noticed Raph standing there against the wall. I pursed my lips at him.

"Are you eaves-dropping?" I demanded and Raph shrugged.

"Well, fuck yeah. I can't believe you just danced in there and told him." Raph mentioned.

I shrugged back at him. "It isn't that hard. You going to tell him?" Raph shook his head.

"Guy looks like he is having a mental breakdown as it is and sappy confession just isn't my style. I leave that to the girls like you and Donnie." He smirked at me.

"I would be careful if I was you, Raphael. This _girl_ for one will give you a kick in the mouth if you hurt Leo." I retorted.

Raph rolled his eyes. "All you guys think about is that I am going to hurt him! It's Leo for fuck's sake! Nothing I do will break him."

"Nothing..." I echoed and we both stood there letting the word hang over us we thought about "nothing." I gave a shiver. "Just don't over do, man. I am worried that he might break your hand if you go in there and try to manhandle him. As you said, the dude is unstable."

Raph cracked a grin at me. It was very dark indeed. "That's just how I like him." Then he turned and went in the opposite direction, making for the kitchen. I frowned. It looked like Sinister Raph was up to no good. I shrugged. What can you do? Guess I have no choice but to spy on him later.

First, best go give Don my congratulations and see if I can find out his plans for courting. How else was I going to out do him? I smiled again. I have never felt so free before. I didn't realize how heavy that secret had been. I just hoped that Leo got over this quick and we could start into a storybook relationship.

Man….this was freakin great!


	80. Chapter 80

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

_**A/N**__**: Okay…..another chapter that took a bit of time. Raphael is actually pretty hard for me to write. He does not behave, Lol. Btw, I think my goal will be 100 chapters for this one. Then again, who knows? I have written a bunch of different endings already, but there will defiantly be more to come, even if it is under another title. I got quite a few directions that I would to go into. XD**_

**Raphael's POV**

I think I am seriously going insane.. or maybe I was just trippin. The fact that Don and Mikey had just gone and done that…At first I was pissed. Now I am just numb. Maybe because Mikey was being a dick wad about it. That seemed a bit small for me to be this tense.

Mikey was an "A" Class Dick Wad. Nothing new. But, if he thinks he can dangle this in front me….he would have another thing coming. Still, the whole situation was bugging me out. I felt antsy….

I opened the fridge and snagged a root beer, my head was still pounding from the hangover. I contribute that to Leo as well. It was his fucking fault that I was like this. I sat around getting drunk so not….and Don…

And What the FUCK? Leo just **LET** him? Hell, if I had known that I sure wouldn't be here drinking shitty candy piss! I would have never let Leo out of my sight…last night would have gone down a completely different road.

I felt my hand tighten on the can, spilling a great deal of it on the floor, which I left. I headed back out and noticed that both Don and Mikey had disappeared together. They were probably comparing damn notebooks. I told myself I didn't give a shit. Which is the biggest fucking lie I could think of.

I glanced in the dojo. Fearless stood there with his fore head against the punching bag. Just leaning into it. I looked him up and down for a moment, taking in his body. I couldn't help it. I smirked. Shit. He did look like he was walking a thin line. Like we all had..still Leo was taking it better then I would have figured.

If it had been me and Don had pulled that shit, I think Don would be looking for a new lung. Leo on the other hand, he was acting as if he still had everything in control or something.

I frowned…maybe that was what was bothering me. Leo thinking that this was just a one-time thing? Actually, I think it was the fact that Leo didn't punch the fuck out of Don. No one would have blamed him. So why didn't he?

Damn…did I really give a rat's ass about that? This was fucking confusing. There was something else bothering me…But right now, I needed to push some buttons…I wanted to make sure that Leo hadn't forgotten that I was still drawing breath.

I stepped in and Leo stiffed. I see his shoulder muscles contracting with each step, but he didn't move. He just stood there with his eyes close. For some reason, that ticked me off to another stage. Leo was just going to take whatever I said….he wasn't even going to try and run. Then again, Leo is just as stubborn as I am. Maybe he thinks he can handle me…

My eyes narrowed. It would be so easy…so easy… just scream at him…hit him…anything right now. Hell. He didn't look ready for a fight. Why was he acting like a doormat? I took another swig before speaking, casually.

"Sup?'

That got him to look at me. He twisted his head to the side to stare at me, disbelief sketched into his face. I smirked again, biding my time for his response.

"Sup?" He echoed. "After all you heard, that is what you chose to say to me?"

I shrugged. "You want something else?"

"A head's up would have been nice, Raph. Mikey said you knew! Why didn't you say anything about….them? How long has this been going on?"

I watched him as he ranted. I took a careful drink, looking at him over the top of the can. His face was a deep red. It had to be killing him to be having this conversation. So….it sounded like he was almost blaming me for this shit? I felt a sliver of rage boiling in the pit of my stomach. I lowered the can.

"Why didn't you knock his nose to the back of his skull, Leo?" I demanded, roughly and Leo's eyes flashed large for a moment. He looked like I had just slapped him with a two by four.

" ..Him? Are you kidding me?" Leo sputtered at me. I cocked my head to one side, drinking in his exasperated state.

"Naw, I don't think I am. You could have stopped him? Come on. I have watched you tear apart people ten times bigger then Donatello. You know what I think. I think you let him kiss you… you are just too chicken shit to admit that. " I went on.

I felt the breeze before Leo punched me in jaw. I had seen it coming and managed to dodge most of the blow so not to spill my drink. But, It did still stun. Leo glared at me.

_Now, this was more like it._ I smiled at him, rubbing the spot.

"You're an ass, Raphael." Leo spat at me, he made to go by me, but I threw my hand out. Of course, now the bastard wants to run away? He thought he could hit me and just skip out?

_Not happening._

"You aren't answering the question, Fearless. You fight much bigger problems then old Donnie boy. So you could have snapped him in two or broke his…"

"IT IS DONNIE!" Leo snapped at me. "Are you crazy!? You honestly, think I should have hurt him. What is your problem?"

I studied him. He was looking mad as hell, chest heaving, but his eyes….they were…glassy. Fuck. He was emotional today. I had struck a true nerve. Now, it was making sense. Leo was not as okay with this as the others had made out. He looked all torn up about it.

It was his own fault. I wasn't buying his pity party. I was going to make him wish he had stopped Don. He looked at the floor. I finished the can off as he inhaled, calming down.

"What was I suppose to do, Raph? You tell me?" He asked, shaking his head. "And what about you? You could have told me. You could have…"

I snorted. "Yeah, well, I didn't. But, I got to hand it to you. You surprise the fuck out of me, Leo."

He gave me a bewildered gaze. He could sense danger but wasn't sure why yet. "How is that?"

"You go really far with this OCD of yours. It is sick. Don and Mikey don't even get what you are doing. You are so focused on not hurting them that you wouldn't even tell them to fuck off when they come on to you? Now that is a whole new level of crazy, Leo. "

Leo's mouth dropped. Hey, what can I say? I can paint a nice picture of shit sometimes. I crushed the can with my bare hand, while eyeing him. Then I leaned close. "Don't come crying to me. This is your problem. You made the bed, now lie in it. "

Leo's mouth became a thin stern line; his hands gave a shudder as he restrained himself from coming at me again. I just stood back and enjoyed the show, watching as he tried so hard to keep that fucking composure of his. It was irritating, yet thrilling. Plus, he seemed concerned about Mikey and Don, and obviously hadn't given me a damn thought.

_Go figure. _

"Nice to know where you stand, Raph." He said, sharply. I felt my own eyes narrow and my hands began to itch. I truly wanted to beat his face in right now. He thought he could just toss me to the back burner.

Heh, I think I am jealous…shit…that actually did hit home. Me? Jealous of Mikey and Don? And how easy they got it? What the fuck? Was it really that simple?

Leo shoved by me and I chuckled, lowly. Yeah. I think it actually was. I was pissed that they told Leo…pissed that he didn't just go crazy on them. Pissed that he didn't consider that I could have similar thoughts. Hell, I was just pissed and I wasn't about to let him leave. Not even close.

"For months."

Leo stopped short at my comment. He glared at me over his shoulder. "What?"

"You asked how long? For months. You have been driving everyone to the breaking point for months, Leo." I told him, my voice dropping. "You can guarantee that I will make sure you get what is coming to you."

"What are you talking about?" Leo demanded, shaking his head. "You are not making this situation any better, Raph. You need to think of how Don and Mikey need…"

That did it.

I threw the can at him, it hit him in the chest and he blinked startled, but I was already on my way over. I slammed him back into the wall with the force of a railroad train. He let out a gasp as I shoved my elbow up against his neck.

"I am tired of fucking waiting, Leo." I hissed in his face. "What the fuck? You are worried about them? Better fucking check yourself out first, Fearless."

Leo gripped my forearm. "Waiting? Raph….what…" I drove my other fist into the wall by his head, baring my teeth. The pain was searing up my arm, linking with the anger that filled me.

"You fucking serious? Don't you even give a shit? How stupid can you get? What is the point of having fucking eyes? "

I glared into his eyes with my own. He still was confused. He honestly didn't seem to see me coming at all. Just like the rest of us. For some reason, that hurt. I gave another push on his throat before pulling back.

"Fuck it." I breathed, turning, but Leo reached out taking a hold of my shoulder. I felt my body give a shiver at his touch. Man, I am losing it….

"Look, Raph…I am sorry. Obviously, this hasn't been easy for you, carrying around this secret…" Leo started.

Really? That was it? It was too much for me. I couldn't stand listening to him like this anymore and I spun on him, grabbing his hand smashed it against the wall.

Before he had time to react, I assaulted his neck, sinking my teeth in the collar area. He gave a strangled gasp, words dying in his throat. The sound alone made my vision go red. My grip on his arm became bruising, as I ran my tongue over the area, tasting blood.

I could feel his cool breathing against the side of my head. His whole body was ridged. Was he truly just going to stand here and let me…

Leo's knee came up and I barely managed to catch it. It would have crushed me in the gut. It brought a small smile to my face. I could feel him straining to move his arm.

Finally. A reaction.

"See. I told you could fight back." I said, deeply into his neck. I pulled back, licking my lips. For a moment, neither of us moved. His breathing was slowing; he was pulling up his walls again. But I had already see what was on the other side. I knew I would see it again.

Leo blank faced at me. "No. Way." He breathed. "Raph?"

The corner of my mouth lifted at the sound of my name. I glanced at the bite mark that was shimmering in beautiful red on his pale skin. I had done that, only me. The others would see that. They would know. I looked back up in his face.

"Are you scared?" I asked him, suddenly. I couldn't read his expression. The "Fearless" face was on. I could feel my rage soaring again. Why wasn't he getting mad? I growled when he didn't answer, just continued to stare at me.

Then finally, he turned his head, looking past me. "This is insane. How did this happen?" He sounded a little too calm for my liking. My rage spiked and I hiked his knee up and to the side, pinning it against the side of my waist.

Leo's eyes flared wide at the position and I saw a spark of emotion skim his face. It was fear. I felt instant satisfaction. No words were needed. Everything was raw, just as it should be. He was force to grasp my shoulder with his one free hand to try to maintain balance. It was pointless. I wasn't going to let him fall.

"Whoa. Raph. What are you doing?" He asked, in a quick nervous tone. I locked eyes with him. I could hear my own breathing quickening. He knew exactly, what I was doing. Before I had time to move though, he did.

He yanked his other leg off the floor, letting me hold his body weight. He threw that leg up and over striking me in the side of the head. At the same down, he yanked hard on my shoulder, pulling me sideways. I went down and he jerked free. He rolled across the floor and came on his feet.

I groaned and cracked my neck getting to my feet. Damn. That fucking hurt. It had been a good move actually. I hadn't anticipated it. I glared at him. "Oh, so you would fight me, but not them? Now that is very interesting. "

"This isn't a game, Raph." He snapped at me, his voice was cold and pleading at the same time. He had his body posed in a stance to ward off any future oncoming attacks.

"That is where you are wrong, Leader." I told him darkly.

"Have you lost it, Raphael?" He asked me quietly after a moment. I shrugged back.

"I told you. This is your fault. You made me nuts, Leo." I retorted.

Leo's mouth parted as I got to my feet. My eyes flickered to the mark again on his neck. My mark.

"This isn't over, Fearless. You are going to be with me. I got nothing but time to make you see that."

"Whatever you are planning, I suggest you stand down." Leo responded in his leader tone. "This is a matter of trust in our family. I can't believe that you…"

"Shut up, Leo. The family is fine. You are the one out of the loop. Mikey, Don and me. Yeah. We already had this little chat, ya see? We have an agreement. Whoever wins..that is that. "

"Wins?" Leo squeaked at me. "What.."

"Yep. Now, you are on our level, bro. _Finally._ This is just the beginning." I backed off, giving him some space. I was trying to lure him into a sense of security. We both knew that I could take him. Shit, I think I was actually teasing him. Who knew?

"I just wanted to make it clear. That no matter what choice you make…I ain't ever gonna back down. I am going to have you." I said, evenly.

"What? Why?" Leo gave sharp reply. I could tell he was really freaking out now. I was wearing him down. He looked ready to bolt this time. It was what I wanted. I could feel the pleasure spread through my veins at the sight. I was making him lose it too. I wanted nothing more then to push him over the edge with me.

"Why? Because..I…" I cut myself short. Shit….because I _loved_ him? Because I needed him? Hell….I wasn't going to say it. I shouldn't have to. He knew. There was no way he couldn't now. I snorted. No sappy confessions here. I needed to keep some damn dignity intact. Leo was mean while eyeing my every move, suspiciously. Damn…that was a turn on….

"What is going on?"

We both jumped, glancing sharply to the right to see both Mikey and Don standing there in the doorway. Don's face was hard with anger, his eyes locked on me. Mikey on the other hand looked concerned. I gave bark of laughter. Typical that they would show up. I sneered at them. Then I rolled my shoulders back.

"Just talking." I said lightly, as I moved smoothly past them, exiting the dojo.

I could feel all their eyes watching me. They all knew what was happening. The fucking cat was out of the bag. The whole atmosphere in the lair had changed. The challenge draped over all of us. No one was going to hold back anymore.

This was war.


	81. Chapter 81

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles…..

_**A/N**__**: And just when you thought, things would get simpler? This is a long one. Have to start the ball rolling. **_

**Donatello's POV**

Yes, I did get. I had unleashed the can of worms so to speak. Everything was spiraling and I knew that Raph would be at the bottom of it. Yet, the snake had obviously cornered Leo in the dojo while I was playing "21 questions" with Mikey.

Sheesh, he was a motor mouth.

"How was it! I want details!" He had all but shrieked in my ear from nowhere. I hadn't even heard him come in my room.

"Out!" I hollered back, pointing stiff-arm towards my broken door. Leo had really done a number on it. While I appreciate the reasoning behind it, it still sucked. Now I couldn't lock Mikey the shell out. A true frightening thought to behold.

"AW! You are no fun, dude." Mikey wailed at me. "I came in here with the good intention of congratulating you and this is the thanks that I get?"

I pursed my lips at the younger turtle. "No, you came in here to find out Leo said to me."

"Same difference." Mikey said brushing off my accusation. "I mean I confessed too. He didn't kill me either, which is nice of him."

My mouth dropped. "Confessed? Already!?"

"You got to move fast in the game of love." Mikey said, delighted. "Now, I want to see what Leo does when Raph makes his move."

"What? You told Raph? Shit! Mikey! Where is Leo?" I stormed past him and Mikey followed hot on my trail.

"Relax, Dude. It is only fair that he gets a shot." Mikey was saying and I threw him a venomous look.

"It's Raph, Mikey!" Honestly. I don't get where Mikey get some of his ideas sometimes.

"Yeah, but he said, he wouldn't hurt him…well sort of.." Mikey added as an after thought. Yeah, _That little gem _really put me at ease. We heard voices coming from the dojo and I zoomed to it. I managed to catch the last part of Raph's sentence.

"Why? Because.I…." He stopped abruptly.

Leo stood there in a defensive position, looking ready to duel, while Raph was further back, his back straight and smiling his ass off. I didn't like the look he was giving the leader one bit. The vibe in the room was down right suffocating.

"What is going on?" I said, harshly before I had even given the sentence any thought. Both turtles jumped and looked at me. Leo's eyes were expanded and darting about wildly. Raph on the other hand looked as pleased as punch about something.

"Just talking." He all but purred at me as he slipped by us and out of the dojo. I turned back to Leo, who looked physically exhausted. That seemed to be a regular affect with Raphael involved.

"You okay, My Love?" Mikey asked, sweetly and Leo and I made faces at him.

"Do _Not _Call me that." He said, shortly, turning a bit. Mikey pouted as I cranked my neck to get a good look at the leader. Leo was shaking his head at Mikey when I saw a flash of crimson on his throat.

"What happened to your neck?" I asked and Leo's hand flew up to it cover it, but not before I could get a glimpse. It was teeth marks and blood. Leo was giving me a guilty look, but I knew who was responsible. That is when my anger hit the fan, seething.

"That son of a bitch!" I snarled, pivoting on my heel and dashing out of the dojo. I had only gone a few steps, when I spotted Raphael in the living room and flew out him in a reckless fashion. He must have heard me coming because he was in mid turn when I bull dozed into him, catching him around the middle.

We went down crashing onto the coffee table, which caved in under our combined weight. Raph gave grunt as the air knocked out of his lungs from the impact. I didn't hesitate. I was swinging wildly about, hitting any part of him I could reach.

Raph was cursing and trying to knock me aside, while dodging the swarm of blows. We rolled about in the broken bits of the table, yelling a tidal wave of insults at each other. Now we were trading blows in a random trend, like a bunch of emotional amateurs.

"**STOP!" **

I was being ripped backwards off Raphael, I cried out in protest, but Mikey and Leo held me fast. I gave a huge exhale, feeling the bruises already forming, where Raph had nailed me back. I glared down as the hot head touch the corner of his mouth with his fingertips where I had drawn blood. Seeing the blood, he looked up at me and I passed him a nasty smile.

"Motherfucker!"

Raphael came off the floor like a possessed demon, murder in his eyes, but Leo intercepted him, hands up. He stood in front of me like a shield. Raph skidded to a stop, his gaze fixated on me over Leo's shoulder.

"Don't even think about it!" Leo commanded his tone deadly.

"That Asswipe fucking jumped me when my back was turned! You fucking coward!" Raphael was enraged, spraying spit all over Leo, who didn't waver a single inch. He stood, steadfast against Raph's frenzy.

I growled in response. "You said you wouldn't hurt him, you shit!"

"I didn't hurt him, you dumb fuck!" Raph swore back, blowing his top. He made a move to come towards me, but Leo shoved him back, swiftly.

"He is bleeding!" I hollered and heard Mikey inhale beside me.

"Bleeding? Leo is? " He asked, confused. "Raph…you said…"

"Please, that is nothing…" Raph was saying in a defensive tone.

"Both of you shut up!" Leo boomed at him, fuming as well. He stepped forward, forcing Raph back into the armchair. He sat down hard and glared up now at Leo, who simply crossed his arms.

"We are having a family meeting this instant. You are all acting like a bunch of raving lunatics!" Leo was saying and my jaw tightened.

"He is the lunatic. Take a gander at your neck!" I yelled and Leo turned on me.

"I said, SHUT UP!" Leo shouted that last part and Mikey squeaked. He flung himself for the safety of the couch leaving me to face Leo' wrath alone. Leo was so close to me that I feel him tearing me apart with his eyes alone. I gave him a feeble smile, fearing for my life, I surrendered, easing myself over to the couch. Quietly, I might add.

Leo stood there like a drill sergeant gone berserk, his gaze piercing each of us before he spoke. "This is not happening. We are not going to have fight about this! We are not going to lose our family core because you all have some silly crushes!"

I flinched at his words. They were cruel and full of thundering spite. My crush was not silly. I knew it. We all knew it. I glanced up at Leo's face. But did he know it? Or was he still writing this off as a faze?

"It isn't silly." Mikey said, softly. He was saying what I was thinking. Leo's expression lessens. After all, the hurt was visible in Mikey's tone. Sometimes having Mikey along was a bonus. Leo let lose a deep sigh to calm himself down a notch.

"You need to understand this. We fight bad guys, not each other. You get me?"

"I am not backing off." Raph said, shortly. His face was still tight in fury as he eyed me across the room. I met his gaze, narrowing my own eyes.

Leo's gaze shifted to the hot head. "I am not asking. I am telling." He answered, darkly and Raph's eyes went to the leader instead.

"You can't fucking control this, Leo.' He snarled back.

Leo's teeth bared. "You want to bet, Raphael?"

"uhhhh…It has gotten cold in here.." Mikey mentioned.

"You think you can snap your fingers and I go back to normal?" demanded Raph, getting up, slowly. "You know what I think? I think we could take you right now and you couldn't do a damn thing about. Once you get that through your head, the better."

"Er…." I managed eyes wide. Leonardo looked livid as he matched Raph's stance. Mikey cleared his throat.

"I don't think that is a good idea, Raphie."

Raph gave him a withering gaze. "Why not? I thought you wanted a foursome?"

Leo made a choking noise, spinning to stare at the youngest turtle, whose face went a deep shade of scarlet.

"Raph…real classy, dude." Mikey muttered.

Leo gave his head a quick shake. "Wait. You guys actually sit around having these conversations?"

A predatory look darted over Raph face as he showed his teeth to the leader. "It is your fault for being so…fucking fuckable in the first place!"

Mikey's eyes about bugged out his head and I literally stopped breathing at that. Leo's jaw hung open briefly, but he recovered, shoving the red wearing turtle back into the armchair, hard.

"Watch your mouth!" He warned the turtle, trying to contain his stone composure.

Raph gave him a look of pure triumph, but he wasn't finished yet. "But, let's move past that. If you want to play the blame game, it was Don who fucked me up with his porn pictures."

I gave a sharp wheeze as all eyes swerved to me. They might as well have turned on a spotlight above my head. Leo's face was incredulous.

"His what?"

"Wait! No…I don't.." I began, nearly hyperventilating.

"Pst, that is so last year, Raph." Mikey piped in. "He has videos now." The room went dead as his words sunk in and then I had a huge coughing fit as both Raph and Leo started.

"WHAT?" They yelled in unison.

"It is not what you think! Mikey is exaggerating! I don't have videos! I swear." I stated, frantically.

"So you have pictures?!" Leo wanted to know and my face flushed. Shit. He was going to kill me now. I had just finally gotten my first kiss and now he is was going to destroy me.

"Er…."

"Holy Shell!" Leo yelled a hand on his forehead. "This is just too much!"

"I was going to tell you!" I explained. "But, then all this happened….."

Leo shook his head, words failing as he sat down heavily in the other armchair. I felt relive wash over me. At least he hadn't told me how horrible I was.

"I don't even know what to say." Leo said, barely above a whisper.

"You could start by telling the others to get out." Raph suggested lustily and Leo's nose wrinkled. I felt my anger boil a little in my gut. Raphael was really getting under my skin.

"You suck at this romance stuff." Mikey remarked, rolling his eyes. "You can't force him to choose. It is not the gentlemen's way. "

"I'm not." Raph said, "But considering as he is wearing _My_ mark. I figured I could have the first go."

His tone was boasting and all our eyes landed on Leo's neck, who shifted uncomfortably from the attention. It wasn't bleeding now, but it was still there, swollen and raw. I felt my malice soar at the sight of it.

'What the hell is that? _Mark? _You fucking bit him, you sickie! Like a goddamn animal!" I spat and Raph grinned deviously back.

"Hell yeah, I did."

There was more yelling. I was on my feet and Leo shot in front of me again. "I said, this was not happening. You guys are not going to fight!"

"Wouldn't be much of a fight any how." Raph chuckled from behind Leo, still relaxing in the armchair.

"Don't mess with me." I shot back at him, my hands balled up at my sides.

"Wow, this solves nothing." Breathed Mikey from his perch on the sofa.

"You have that right." Leo sighed. "And you guys are giving me a headache on top of that. I can't believe that all this was going on behind my back."

"Not our fault you're clueless." Raph put in and Leo's eyes lit in recognition of the phrase.

"So that's what everyone has meant all this time." Leo said more to himself then us. He shook his head, deciding to keep any further thoughts to himself on the matter.

"Okay, Splinter is coming back in a few days. I suggest we work this out. I do not want World War III waging in the lair."

"Yeah…why don't you go do some first aid on that?" I advised about the mark. "We will talk it out."

Leo gave me an unease look. "Yeah. That sounds like a very bad idea to me."

"It will be okay, Leo dear. We got this. Don and Raph promise not to kill each other in your absence, right?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah…" I murmured and at the same time I heard Raph breathed, "No promises."

I gave him a dirty look and he smiled, politely back. _Jerk._

"Okay…." Leo said after a moment, as if he was still battling with the ill feeling he was having. I didn't blame him though.

"Seriously. We have dealt with this for a while now. Go take care of that and then we will all talk this out." I told him, giving him a positive smile. Leo eyed us then, nodded heading over to the bathroom. We watched and once he was inside, we all spun close together.

"What fuck are you doing? We only have a few days left! You shit!" Raph wanted to know.

"You ever bite him again, I am going to break your teeth." I spat back at him, lowly.

Raph sneered at me. "How would you like a third nostril, Donnie?"

"Go to hell." I shot and Mikey whistled.

"You guys are wasting time. I vote that Leo has to spend time with all of us. We all need to be honest…and no Raping, Raph!" He said and we both gave the larger turtle the evil eye.

He was still smirking at us. " No promises." He said again. "I am tired of waiting."

"I am serious. You can't go that far. Leo is new to this stuff. You are going to freak him out." I hissed at him, glancing at the bathroom to make sure Leo was still inside.

"I am just letting him see what he has done to us. Walking around all perfect, while we had to sit around restrained." Raph uttered, darkly.

"That wasn't his fault, Raphie. Not everyone knows that they are sexy." Mikey pointed out.

We all pondered that for a moment. I had to agree, but I thought it made it worse for people like me who did notice. It didn't seem fair. I guess I could see Raph's view in this matter.

"So now what? We all just hang out and hope he likes one of us back?" I asked, to be honest I hadn't planned this far ahead. Things felt even more complicated then they were before.

"Uh…we could watch some chick flicks?" Mikey giggled. "Oooo! That could be helpful!"

"I am not fucking watching that shit!" Raph growled and I grimaced.

"Well, we do have to prove to Leo that this isn't going to interfere with the team. " I said, through my teeth. This wasn't going to be easy. "So..I am sorry that I hit you, Raph."

Raph's mouth broadens into a smile. "No you aint, but I had it coming. I can't help it. I lose my head when Leo is around."

"Not like you had much to begin with." Mikey laughed and quickly ducked a swat from the older turtle. I let lose the breath I had been holding. I glanced at my two brothers, marveling the situation.

"My gah. Leo knows…..about all of us…" I said, slowly. "This is crazy."

"Dude, I think word you were searching for is, AWESOME!" Mikey cheered.

"No. Crazy is right.' Raph shook his head. "And Leo is just as crazy for putting up with all this crap. I would blow this joint as soon as I could."

I nodded. "Well, there will have to be some sort of rule or something. I mean, I am still worried about Leo's health and the stress…"

"Yeah, I bet you were _real_ worried about that when you were swapping spit with him." Cut in Raph. I glowered at him.

"Can you try to actually give a damn for ONCE, Raphael!?" I snapped at him. "I am just saying that leaving bite marks on him, isn't the way to do things."

"It is okay, dude. I still think it is hot." Mikey said soothingly, giving Raph a thumb up. "A little hardcore for my taste, but I get it."

"You are not helping." I snarled at Mikey, who gave me a shrug. "Got call it as I see, Bro."

"Nice to see you aren't beating each other up." Leo said, announcing his return. "I think we should get to work on cleaning up this table."

We all glanced at him. He was acting as if nothing had happened. Nevertheless, one look at the large Band-Aid on his neck and we all knew that it was only wishful thinking on his part. Or maybe he was just trying to push us past this stage. It was hard to tell with Leo sometimes. He hid his emotions so well.

"I'll get some trash bags. This is pretty much done for." I told him, standing up. He nodded, surveying the damage.

"That means we also need a trip to the dump. I would like to see if we could find a new one for Splinter. Don, why don't you get started on that. I will head over to the dumpsite."

"You are going to need help carrying one back if you find one." I told him and he stiffened. I could tell he was sizing us up, like trying to figure who was less threatening to go with him.

"I'll go…" Raph began, but Leo gave him a sharp headshake. "No, Mikey is. You two can stay here and fix your mess." He said, gesturing to the broken table.

Mikey let out a loud, ear-shattering whoop like he had just won the lottery. He danced about in a mad circle. I frowned at him as he gave a huge grin, doing a fist pump. Leo looked like he was already regretting his choice as he turned, heading for the door.

"Alright!" Mikey tagged after Leo like a puppy, chattering away.

"Can we hold hands?"

"No!" Leo responded, quickly, but that didn't faze Mikey a bit. He just kept on going.

"How about linking arms?"

"Mikey. Shut up." Leo was saying as they disappeared out the door. I could hear Mikey whining in response, before the doors closed.

I turned to Raph, who was shaking his head. We both knew that Mikey was going to drive Leo nuts until he got what he wanted and one-step further. Leo had just unknowingly sealed his own doom.

"I think he would have been safer if he had taken you." I informed Raph, who snickered.

"Damn straight."


End file.
